I'll Tumble 4 Ya

So... Do you Tumbl?


Just now, I joined Tumblr...

... so come join me there...

... as  I start adding astrology tips there about Mercury retrograde, etc.


http://proudphoenix.tumblr.com/

A Drama in Three Acts: Act Two and Act Three

Last time I went into some depth, using a hypothetical example, about how transiting Mercury retrograde is like a drama in three acts (at least for some of us). I drew the curtain up on Act One and explored it. Now let's explore Acts Two and Three, continuing with the same example.

Before we go curtain-lifting, though, let's review a few crucial bits about the example that I'm continuing to use here...

1. We're supposing here, for the sake of illustration, that in your particular birth chart, you have Mars in Sag in your 7th house. 
2. We're also supposing that Mercury is currently drifting through your 11th house... and squaring off with your natal Mars.
3. Between February and April of this year, transiting Mercury appears to first move forward (direct) through much of Pisces.... then appears to move backward (retrograde) through that same territory... and then once again appears to move forward (direct) through it. (This third point is true. It's a fact--NOT something that we're supposing here.)

Now, then... 

Let's Lift The Curtain on Act Two 

To interpret Act II of this transit (that is, of transiting Mercury in Pisces in your 11th house, squaring off with your natal Mars in Sag in your 7th house), consider the emphasis or focus that is associated with whichever way the transiting planet is moving. 

In Act I, transiting Merc had been in direct (or forward) motion. During that time, the emphasis was on how you'd respond to the dance between Mercury and Mars (*see my earlier entry) in terms of how you acted--in ways that another person could see or hear. 

Now, in Act II, transiting Mercury is in retrograde (or backward) motion. The dance continues, but now it happens more inside you. 

Maybe you mull over issues that were raised during Act I. 

Maybe you think about what you learned, or heard, or said, or wrote then. 

Maybe you think about you might say or write later. 

If "external" events happened quickly during Act I (a duel? a chase scene? a musical number?), then Act II could seem quieter by comparison. 

Maybe the plot moves forward more slowly, or there's less action and more reflection, more talking (whether talking with other characters or talking to yourself). 

During this act, subtle realizations, or breakthroughs, or other shifts inside you may occur independently of what's happening on stage around you. 

As all (good or bad) acts do, eventually Act II ends...

... And That Brings Us to Act Three

To interpret Act II of this hypothetical transit, notice how the plot shifts again.

Maybe the act is really happening more overtly, more concretely now.

If some significant observable change occurred during Act One (a music number? an encounter with an adversary?), then Act Three may feature a reprise of that musical number or another encounter with that adversary. 

On the other hand, if tension and pressure (for some change to occur) increased over the course of Act One and Act Two, but no observable change happened by the end of Act One, then the tension may break now, in Act Three.

Maybe you (the protagonist) finally stands up to your arch enemy. 

Maybe you finally get your comeuppance after burning one bridge too many.

Maybe you finally acknowledge that another character isn't so perfect or so horrible after all, and you work out a truce between the two of you. 

Life Is Anything But a Never-Changing Broadway Script

I've written a  neat little story here of a drama in three acts, to suggest how Mercury direct, then retrograde, then direct again might trigger change involving your natal Mars. 

Life, however, is much more unruly and messier than a Broadway script. 

Don't be surprised if all the change happens in Act One. If you've been primed by other, more significant transits for change and now Mercury comes along, it could happen like that. 

Or don't be surprised if not much happens until Act Three, or you find that the whole play was a cliffhanger, begging for a sequel, because so much that might have happened, hasn't happened yet. 

The pace of change in an individual's life is not neatly explained by time frames, such as when Mercury changes direction. It's much more fluid and mysterious than just sticking to your lines, in a script that never changes. 

Coming Attractions

And now, with that, I'm hereby wrapping up my discussion of Mercury retrograde and implications for people in Group #1 (at least, for now). 

Now (in future blog entries), I'll turn my attention first to people in Group #2, then to those in Group #3, and finally to people in Group #4. 

(Group #4, by the way, includes all of us.)

A Drama In Three Acts: Act One

Last time, I talked about how transiting Mercury being retrograde can be like a drama in three acts, when it comes to applying this temporary "astrological weather pattern" to your particular situation.

Now that I've sketched out what happens in each of the three acts, let's go into some depth about what Act One drama might look like.

Let's Raise the Curtain on Act One

As I did last time, I'll use an arbitrary example for the purposes of illustrating what I'm talking about here.

Specifically, let's suppose that:

1. In your birth chart, you have Mars in Sagittarius in the 7th house.
2. Currently, transiting Mercury is drifting through Pisces in your 11th house. 

As we look at Act One, remember that during this particular "act," the transiting planet (TP) is in direct motion. (It appears to move forward, rather than backward.)

The Needs and Potential of Your Natal Planet (the One That's Triggered Now)

To interpret Act One of this transit, first, let's consider the needs and potentials associated with the natal planet, or NP, that is being triggered by the TP.

Your natal Mars in Sagittarius in the 7th house indicates that you need to develop and express your assertiveness (Mars) in ways that help you achieve a sense of meaning (Sagittarius), and you especially need to do this in intimacy (7th house), that is, through close, one-on-one encounters with other people, whether they are platonic/romantic, personal/professional, cooperative/adversarial... as well as through your interactions with the public in general.

Do this by using Sagittarian strategies: playing the student, the pilgrim, the anthropologist, the philosopher, the explorer--taking risks, broadening your horizons, focusing on matters of principle. And do it while establishing, developing, and maintaining close connections with others--ideally connections in which you relate to each other as equals, rather than from a "one-up" or "one-down" position.

Other Factors in Your Birth Chart (Related to the Natal Planet That's Being Triggered Now)

To get a sense of potentials reflected in your birth chart, look at factors, such as aspects between your natal Mars and other parts of your chart.

Does your natal Mars in Sag in the 7th house conjoin your Venus in Sag?

Does it square your Uranus and Pluto in Virgo in the 5th house?

Does it trine your Moon in Leo in the 7th?

How about your Jupiter in Aries in your 12th?

(Etc.)

If so, then consider any and all such factors that apply.

For example, with Mars square Uranus, you've got lifelong potential to "do" Mars, Sag, Uranus, Virgo, the 7th house, and the 5th house-related matters well and badly in connection with each other.

How could you express the best and worst of these elements?

Since they're connected by a square, you've got the potential to satisfy one half of the square and try (unsuccessfully!) to ignore the other half of the square. (Either half will do in either role, and you can even switch roles between them, from time to time.)

You've also got the potential to strike and maintain workable, ongoing compromises between those two extremes (that is, catering to one and neglecting the other, or vice versa).

To get at what all of that means, consider the other half of this square: Uranus.

... And In the Other Corner, We Have... Uranus

In your birth chart (continuing our hypothetical example, from above), you have two energetic players or forces, each standing like a boxer in a ring, ready to go into action and square off with each other.

As we saw (above), in one corner, you have Mars in Sag in the 7th house.

Now let's meet boxer number two: your Uranus in Virgo in the 5th house.

Astrologically speaking, here's what we know from the very existence of your Uranus:

In order to truly express and positively experience yourself as the unique individual that you are (in other words, to truly "feed" your Uranus, the planet of individuality), you need to strive toward perfection (Virgo) in your self-expression (5th house).

That means playing the critic, or craftsperson, or analyst, or perfectionist, or martyr (that is, focusing on details, engaging in mental activity, and working in any or all senses of the word)... and doing it through 5th-house pursuits: hobbies, romance, entrepreneurial pursuits, performing in any sense of the word, things that you do for the sheer enjoyment or pleasure of it.

NOTE: When I say "martyr," I mean "one who willingly makes sacrifices for the sake of something that is important to him or her."

Neat Trick If You Can Do It!

Now let's pull together all of the above. As you'll see, it indicates (ahem) a bit of a dilemma to learn to deal with successfully.

Based on the above, we can safely say that feeding your Mars (assertiveness) and feeding your Uranus (individuality) naturally clash. These two "voices in your head" naturally pull you in decidedly different directions. They call you to use decidedly different methods or styles to move in their respective directions. So something's gotta give!

I mean, think about it.

Doing what's meaningful versus striving toward perfection.

Being an adventurous, risk-taking, horizon-expanding student (or explorer, or philosopher, or etc.) ...

... versus being a deliberate, detail-focused, step-by-step analyst (or critic, or craftsperson, or etc.).

How do you give top priority to both such agendas (or styles) at the same time?

Neat trick if you can do it!

Your Mars-in-Sag and your Mars-in-Virgo "voices" simply cannot both equally call the shots at the same time in how you go about living your life, day in and day out.

One of them has to defer to the other, at least somewhat, at any given time.

Now, neither of these basic needs of yours (that is, neither your need to develop and express your assertiveness nor your need to develop and express your individuality) are going anywhere.

They both matter.

They're both important.

So what 's a guy (or doll) to do?

The Most Advisable Course of Action

Given all of the above, the most advisable course of action... when one part of your birth chart (i.e., something in Virgo) squares another part of your chart (i.e., something in Sag)...  is to always try to accommodate both your Virgoan and Sagitttarian agendas, at least a little ... and in some situations (or at some times), to give a higher priority to the Virgoan agenda than to the Sagittarian one... and in other situations (or at other times), doing the opposite of that.

Relating the Transiting Planet to Your Natal Planet (That It Triggers Now)

Once you've look at the potential associated with your natal planet in question (that is, Mars) and its connections to the rest of your chart, then consider the themes and issues associated with the transiting planet (i.e., Mercury) that is triggering your Mars now.

In this case, we're talking about transiting Mercury in Pisces in your 11th house.

Mercury is the planet of information, ideas, opinions, and so on, as well as environmental stimuli to your senses (what you see, hear, etc.)

As zodiac signs go, Pisces is naturally associated with inspiration, confusion, etc.

Put these two symbols together, and we get this:

With Mercury in Pisces now, the information, ideas, etc. that are coming in to you now could be inspiring or confusing. They could encourage you to make at least a little bit of some dream of yours come true here in the real world. They could also encourage you to confuse your greatest (escapist) hopes or worst (catastrophizing) fears with whatever is really currently true (i.e., "the facts") in your life.

And where are these bits of information, ideas, etc. coming from?

Which part of your life are they especially likely to pertain to, one way or another?

Mercury's transiting through your 11th house, so a lot of it is related to how you approach your future: the goals that you set, the priorities that you set, and the methods that you use to pursue them, including joining forces with like-minded people, in groups of three or more of you at a time... or your lack of such things (that is, your drifting, your avoiding setting goals/priorities, etc.).

The question with a Mercury transit is how you'll respond to incoming information, so let's look at your choices for that.

The Choice Is Yours

Will you go into mental and verbal overdrive by rationalizing and shading (or twisting)  the facts to fit your preconceived notions of the world?

("Don't confuse me with the facts. I've already made up my mind.")

Or will you update that mental map of the world in your head, to make room for facts that don't jibe with the way you used to see things?

During a transit from Mercury to some part of your birth chart, the choice is yours.

Transiting Mercury Squaring Off With Your Natal Mars

Besides looking at general themes associated with the transiting planet, look at the nature of the aspect that it makes to your natal Mars.

In this case we have transiting Mercury squaring your natal Mars. Inspiring/confusing new information, or ideas, or communication related to your goals and group pursuits (Mercury) clash with your customary way of expressing your assertiveness/fear in your most intimate encounters with other individuals / with the public (Mars).

During such a square, you're challenged to strike a compromise between Mercury and Mars. They'll both have to give up getting some of what they'd naturally prefer in order to co-exist.

In my next entry, I'll go into some detail about Act Two and Act Three, still using our hypothetical example of transiting Mercury in Pisces in your 11th house squaring your natal Mercury in Sag in your 7th house.

Mercury's Current Retro Period & Your Chart

Now I'm going to talk about how to apply Mercury's current retrograde period to your particular chart.

NOTE: The following applies to those people who are in Group #1. If you do NOT fall in this group, then skip the following. (It won't apply for you.) I'll write more later about how to apply Mercury's retrogradation to your chart.

I Wish I Could Use Your Chart As an Example...

In order to explain this, I find it necessary to use some sort of specific example. Unfortunately, blogging doesn't allow me to refer to specific examples for each and every person in Group #1. (Sorry. I wish I could!) 

Therefore, I'm just gonna use an arbitrary example. 

Afterwards, I'll talk about how to apply all of the following to your particular case. 

Let's suppose that in your birth chart, you have Mars at 9 degrees 34 minutes Sagittarius in your 7th house. 

General Rules and Learnable Skills

Transiting Mercury squares your natal Mars from about February 7 till February 15 and from about March 2 till April 2.

(Personally, I use 6-degree orbs with Mercury. In other words, I consider a transit from Mercury to a natal planet to be in effect from about the time that Merc is 6 degrees before aspecting it exactly until the time that Merc is about 6 degrees past aspecting it exactly). 

This aspect is exact three times: 

1. on February 11 (while Merc is in direct, or seemingly-forward, motion)

2. on March 8 (while Merc is in retrograde, or seemingly-backward motion), and 

3. on March 27 (while Merc is in direct, or seemingly-forward motion)

As a general rule, while a transiting planet is retrograde, and when it does this while it triggers one of your natal planets, then you can expect a certain series of events to happen in a particular order.

(I say "as a general rule" because there are some variations in these events depending on a particular case. However, as a  general framework, this sequence does always apply.)

By the way, if this seems hard to follow, give it time to sink in. 

It's a skill: it's learnable, and the more you practice doing it, the better you do it. The more you try applying it to a chart, the easier it gets to do it. 

It's a little drama in three acts between the transiting planet and the natal planet...

A Drama in Three Acts (In Detail)

Act One (while the transiting planet is in direct motion):

• The transiting planet (TP) starts to aspect your natal planet (NP).
• The TP aspects your NP exactly for the first time.
• The TP continues to aspect your NP, though no longer exactly. 

Act Two (while the TP is in retrograde motion):

• The TP starts to aspect your NP again. 
• The TP aspects your NP exactly for a second time.
• The TP continues to aspect your NP, though no longer exactly. 

Act Three (while the TP is in direct motion again):

• The TP starts to aspect your natal planet again.
• The TP aspects your natal planet exactly for the third time. 
• the TP continues to aspect your NP, though no longer exactly. 

Now, continuing with our example from above, if we apply this sequence of events to the chart, and we "plug in" the specific dates and other information, then here's the blow-by-blow list of what happens when...

Act One:

• Starting on about February 7, Merc (direct) starts to square your Mars. 
• On February 11, Merc (direct) squares your Mars exactly (for the first of three times). 

Act Two:

• On February 24, Merc turns stations retro.
• From about March 2 till April 2, Merc (retro) is (again) within range of squaring your Mars. 
• On March 8, Merc (retro) squares your Mars exactly (for the second of three times).

Act Three:

• On March 17, Merc turns stationary direct again.
• On March 27, Merc (direct again) squares your Mars exactly (for the third of three times). 
• On about April 2, Merc (direct again) moves outside of range of squaring your Mars (again). 

Whew! That's a Lot of Technical Information 

Now that we've gotten through that, we're freer to look at what this drama-in-three-acts might mean for you. 

I'll talk about that next time....

Who's Likely to Experience Mercury Retrograde?

There are four groups of people who are relatively likely to experience transits to Mercury's current retrograde period. The last group (#4) includes all of us.

To see whether you also fall in any of the other groups (#1, 2, and/or #3), look at your particular natal chart.

NOTE: If you do not have a copy of your chart, go to www.astro.com, click on "Free Horoscopes" at the top of the screen, and then, under the heading "Horoscope Chart Drawings," click on "Chart Drawings, Ascendant."

Group #1

This group includes those people with natal planets triggered by Mercury three times between February and April, due to Mercury passing through he same part of the zodiac repeatedly while in retrograde and direct motion.

If your chart contains planets between 5 degrees 37 minutes and 16 degrees 52 minutes of the mutable signs (i.e., Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and/or Pisces), then you're extremely likely to experience some sort of manifestation during the Mercury retro period. Such natal planets are aspected not once but three times between February and April.

In my next blog entry, I'll go into detail about applying Mercury retro in your case. 

Group #2

This group includes those people with natal planets triggered by Mercury turning stationary retrograde while in close aspect to them.

If your chart contains planets between between 16 degrees 52 minutes and 17 degrees 52 minutes of the mutable signs (i.e., Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and/or Pisces)  then you're extremely likely to experience some sort of manifestation between about February 14 and March 4. 

If you have planets outside of this range but still between about 17 degrees 52 minutes and 21 degrees 52 minutes of these same signs, then you are more likely than other people to experience Mercury turning stationary retrograde during the same time period. 

Group #3

This group includes those people with natal planets triggered by Mercury turning station direct while in close aspect to them. 

If your chart contains planets between about 4 degrees 37 minutes and 5 degrees 37 minutes of the mutable signs (i.e., Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and/or Pisces), then you're extremely likely to experience some sort of manifestation of Mercury turning stationary direct between roughly March 8 and March 25.

If you have planets outside of this range, but still between about 29 degrees 37 minutes and 30 degrees of the fixed signs (i.e., Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and/or Aquarius), then you're more likely than other people to experience Mercury turning stationary retrograde during the same time period. 

The same is true if you have planets between about 0 degrees and 4 degrees 37 minutes of the mutable signs (i.e., Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and/or Pisces).

Group #4

Even if you're not in Group #1, or Group #2, or Group #3 (see above), you would still do well to consider general guidelines for activities to avoid and for activities to emphasize while Mercury is retrograde. 

In my next blog entry, I'll go into detail about how those people who are Group #1 can apply Mercury retro in their particular cases. 

Mercury is Retrograde (Again!)

Have I got news for you.... Mercury is retrograde (again!).

Has your entire life come to a screeching halt?

Are you feeling utterly paralyzed?

I bet not, however frustrated you might feel about some matters at the moment.

Mercury retro gets such a bad rep, and so many people seem to dread it or fear it.

Is all that really necessary? Is this transit really all bad... or even bad at all?

Read on and see what you think.

Aspect and Time Period

Mercury is retrograde for 20 to 24 days at a time, three times each year. The exact dates of these retro periods vary from year to year. 

At 4:41 am EST on Saturday, February 23, Mercury turned stationary retro at 16 degrees 52 minutes Pisces. 

Mercury will turn stationary direct at 4:03 pm EST on Sunday, March 17, at 5 degrees 37 minutes Pisces. 

Mercury moves an average of 1 and 1/2 degrees per day through the zodiac. Though Mercury's retro period technically ends on March 17, like some astrologers, I think that the change in Mercury's apparent motions will continue to be felt until he gets back up to his average speed again. This will happen by about March 19.

Once this particular retro period is over, Mercury will next be retro from June 26 till July 20, and then again from October 22 till November 10.

What Does It Mean To Be Retrograde?

Mercury temporarily slows down his speed in his orbit around the Sun, so from the vantage point of our position on Earth, Mercury appears to be moving backwards,  thought that's not actually the case. it's like being in a car that is moving at a constant speed. if another car next to you slows down, then if you look out your window, it appears that the car is moving backward. In this case, our "car" is Earth, orbiting the Sun, and the other "car" is Mercury, doing the same.

Changing direction from apparent forward to apparent backward motion (and then to forward motion again, later) is not an instant thing. it happens gradually.

Mercury's daily speed in orbiting the Sun gradually slows down, like a clock winding down or a ball rolling to a stop, until he appears to be standing still.

At the time that he stations retrograde, he appears to be standing still. At the time when he stations retrograde, he appears to be standing exactly still in his march across the sky. Then he appears to move backward for a few weeks. After that, Mercury stations direct. When that happens, he again appears to be standing exactly still, and then he appears to start moving forward again... until he gets back up to his regular speed once more.

Is Mercury Being Retrograde a Big Deal or Not?

Mercury is retrograde almost 25% of the time, and during such times, we're all more likely than usual to experience changes (some of them annoying) in connection with communication or transportation.  However, given how much of the the time we experience such changes, Mercury retro periods are not terribly significant for many purposes. A lot of it depends on whether you're looking at your life in large or small chunks of time. 

Let me explain what I mean.

If you are looking at your life in terms of a chunk of time that's, say, six months or longer, and if you're keeping your sights on your personal development and spiritual growth when you reflect on your past and contemplate your future, then transits from Mercury to your particular birth chart are not terribly significant.

There are so many more transits that you are experiencing that are more significant than Mercury transits. 

Why?

These other transits are formed by slower-moving planets, so they are each in effect for a greater length of time, and over time, they affect your life more deeply. Also, they happen much less frequently, so relative to your entire lifetime, they are much more remarkable. However, there are at least a couple of notable exceptions to what I've just said. 

First, if you anticipate having exceptionally critical experiences (such as delicate high-stakes negotiations at work or an intensive marathon stretch of trying to develop or strengthen a personal relationship), and if these experiences will happen during a relatively short time period (for example, during a particular month or week), then transits by Mercury to your natal chart are indeed much more significant than usual.

When you're living life at such a narrow scale of time, briefer transits by quicker planets (such as Mercury) take on grater importance.

In contrast, longer transits by slower planets (such as Pluto) function more like a backdrop against which changes happen, rather than like actors at center stage in the drama of your life.

Secondly, if you have natal planets that are triggered very closely by Mercury when he changes direction from direct (forward) to retrograde (backward) motion (or vice versa), then Mercury transits are again more important for you than they are for most of us. This is because 

1. closer aspects are generally more significant than wider aspects, and 
2. when a planet changes direct, it is moving at a much slower speed than usual, and that also makes its influence greater. 

The idea is to try to maintain perspective as we approach these periods. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I do think it's a good idea to approach communication and transportation more deliberately than usual when Mercury is retro, but my point is this: give these retrograde periods their due--no more and no less.

In my next blog entry, I'll take about exactly which people are likely to experience Mercury retrograde significantly and other related matters. 

Getting Lunar: The Run-Up to This Month's Full Moon... Yours Truly... and *You*

ZZZZ...

So... It's another semi-sleepless predawn morning for yours truly, here in the (Raleighwood-version) run-up to this month's full moon, which happens at 5:21 a.m. (here in the Eastern Time Zone)... 

...when the Moon will be at 7 degrees 5 minutes Cancer (in the 2nd house--the house of resources--of my particular birth chart, I might add ;-) ) ... 

... and when the Sun will be at 7 degrees 5 minutes Capricorn (in my 8th house--the house of instincts). 


AND HOW ABOUT FOR YOU?

And how about for you, wherever in the world *you* are, at the moment?

Have you found yourself (at least semi- ?) "up and at 'em" sooner than usual, in recent hours?  

AND WHILE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT

Which house of your birth chart will the Moon be in, when it's perfectly full, in two or three hours?

And which house will the Sun be in? 

NOTE: See above for the zodiacal positions of both the Moon and the Sun. 

YES, I REALLY MEAN IT

By the way, when I ask such questions like those that I've posed above, I truly would like to hear from you--from any or all of you who are reading this from somewhere out there in Cyberland)... I'm not being rhetorical.

So, as always when I post a new blog entry here, feel free to post your answers to any or all of the questions that I've posed... 

...other comments... 

...your own questions... 

...a great new joke-of-the-day that you've just read (or heard) elsewhere... 

...you name it. :-)

FOR YOUR POSTING PLEASURE: YOUR OPTIONS INCLUDE...

And as is often the case...

For your posting pleasure, your options include both:

(A) posting a comment here (below) 

and / or 

(B) posting same on Facebook

So feel free to double your pleasure (uh, double your posting)... and double your fun.