“Perception is an ongoing interchange – a silent conversation I carry on with things. By perceiving (really seeing) I enter into a sympathetic relation with the perceived. The act of perception is always open-ended and unfinished.” David Abram

Mercury stations retrograde May 29 in the evening EDT at 24 degrees of Gemini. Mercury, the busy Trickster God is happy in this mutable, mercurial sign.

Mercury will travel retrograde until June 23 when he stations direct-  making this  three week period an excellent time to pause, rethink and revision. Mercury is a lover of multifaceted ideas and perspectives. It’s wise to be open to options in thinking and  ideas that might need an update.

Mercury and Venus are together now and making an alignment to Neptune – a reminder of the power and wisdom of kindness, compassion and forgiveness in effecting change.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,”Carefree children skating on ice.”

Sabian symbol from Linda Hill

“Lady called the blue boy love
She took him home
Made himself an idol yes
So he turned to stone
Like a pilgrim she traveled
To place her flowers
Before his granite grace
And she prayed aloud for love
To waken in his face
In his face.” Joni Mitchell

“Take some more tea,” the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
“I’ve had nothing yet,” Alice replied in an offended tone: “so I can’t take more.”
“You mean you can’t take less,” said the Hatter: “It’s very easy to take more than nothing.”  Lewis Carroll

“Why sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” Lewis Carroll

This week’s Lunar Eclipse is at 5 degrees of Sagittarius on Wednesday May 26 at 7:14 am EDT. At the time of the Eclipse both Jupiter and Neptune are strong influences – with the Sun and Moon in a tight square to Jupiter and Neptune in a square alignment with Venus and Mercury.  Squares are dynamic and call for action or indicate the need to overcome something.

It is a very good week for creative endeavors. But with these alignments and  Saturday’s  Mercury retrograde station (at 24 Taurus) as  it can be a more confusing time. Misunderstandings and miscommunications can happen more easily so it’s wise to be extra clear in communication. Best to double check emails and texts have actually been received and read before jumping to any conclusions. Make sure important info is backed up.

As far as matters of the heart are concerned, Venus in a square aspect to Neptune is a muse -type alignment – when a form of  higher love brings inspiration to the artistic process.  It is also associated with unrequited love or being in love with an idealized or unavailable person. It can be a time when illusions of this type may be  made made more visible. Feeling a scarcity around love or abundance may be present at this time as well.

This alignment bodes well for meditation and spiritual growth. It also speaks of  the higher aspect of love and the need to bring more love into the world.

Whenever there is a planetary station – either retrograde or direct- it bodes well to heed any information or guidance that surfaces that represents a culmination of information. This process applies to this week and into early next week.

There is a fair amount of confusion and illusion around this week as well as a tendency to overreact. It’s a good time to keep strong boundaries in place, back up important information and proceed with discrimination and  moderation.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is,” An old owl perched up in a tree.”

Sabian symbol from Lynda Hill