Tag: Mercury retrograde

Mercury and Mars Retrograde

“Despair is hidden arrogance : ‘I have seen the future and it doesn’t work.’ Hope is rooted in trust of the unknown. Work, wait and hope. That is enough. Sam Keen

With Mercury and Mars now retrograde (Mercury through 5/23 and Mars through the end of June) there can be more confusion than usual with processing feelings and information. This can be in part because of the retrograde period – which provides a better time for review and revisioning – particularly about your plans and options for proceeding – than trying to push forward. It is a good time to practice patience. Don’t let delays or snags with technology catch you by surprise.

With Mars and Saturn in Sagittarius it is a good time also to consider the interplay between faith and fear in your life. Saturn’s square to Neptune, an ongoing influence this year, has to do with in part with experiencing disillusionment – in a sense seeing through the veil – and what we learn and how we grow from these types of experiences.

“Doubt isn’t the opposite of faith: it is an element of faith.” Paul Tillich

Mercury Stations Retrograde

“Thinking is the talking of the soul with itself… All thoughts begin in wonder.” Plato

Mercury stations retrograde Thursday April 28 at 23 degrees of Taurus and the retrograde period will last through May 23. All retrograde periods are a good time to rethink, reflect, re- envision.

Do take extra care with communications and the tools of communication – emails, texts etc. as it is easier for things to go awry in this area of life – creating snafus and misunderstandings as a result. It’s best to clarify in person or on the phone if confusion arises. Avoid assumptions.

This roughly three week period provides good timing to reflect on the Taurean areas of your life: what you think about your resources, what you value in general on a deep level, how you create pleasure in your life and what brings a sense of abundance. We are living in times of great change both personally and globally and a reflective period on these matters helps create a clear and more appropriate path forward.

One of the Sabian symbols for this time is, “A white dove flying straight and fearlessly over troubled waters.”

Sabian symbol quote from Lynda Hill’s 360 Degrees of Wisdom.

 

February as the New January

“Central to the art of leading a magical life is the task of weeding our garden, choosing which thoughts we want to blossom. Mercury’s discriminatory function reminds us to monitor our thoughts in regard to how they make us feel.’ Caroline W Casey
There is a lot of talk in the astrological community about how this year “February is the new January.”- a quote from Kelly Surtees in reference to New Year’s intentions which often are set on or around Jan 1. This year better timing for getting off to a good start with intention setting occurs on the New Moon of February 8.
Mercury’s retrograde transit in January as well as the conjunction with Pluto have both indicated a time of review or a time of rethinking how you use your mind and your thoughts rather than a time of proceeding with a new agenda. So if you have felt disheartened, February’s New Moon brings a new start.
This week as Mercury slowly moves out of Pluto’s territory and Venus finishes up her dance with Pluto after the 6th , things will begin to lighten up as they both move towards a good alignment with Jupiter – the planet of expansion and optimism.
 As with the Queens and Kings  of old, an Astrologer or Tarot Card Reader should be a trusted ally on your life’s path.
 Reach Amelia at 603 654 1043, amelia.shea@comcast.net,  www.ameliashea.com and https://ameliashea.wordpress.com. Her readings start at $30 and are available by phone, email, skype and in person in Wilton, NH. Casey quote from her book Making the Gods Work for You. All times mentioned are EST

Planetary influences this week

“In order to know the right turns we have to know the wrong ones.” Clarissa Pinkola Estes
I live in the downtown area of a small New England town a stone’s throw from the elementary school and playground. There is a little girl – I think she is in the second grade-who lives nearby. She has strawberry blonde hair and freckles. In astrology this coloring can be associated with a strong Mars influence in the chart – for instance Aries rising or Mars on the Ascendant,
The little girl spends most of her free time outdoors and is very agile and athletic ( other Mars qualities.) She is often running, climbing and swinging at the school playground, riding her bike or scooter. She is very independent and tough in her own way.
Yesterday though when I walked by her house she was outside standing close to her mother. Her mother explained that she had been to the nurse at school because she had run into the side of the picnic table and bumped her eye. Her mother went on to say that the neighbor’s child had also been to the nurse that day as the result of an accident.
This is a good story to keep in mind as we head into this week. The influence of Mars is strong and in conjunction with the influence of other planets, can lead to impulsiveness. There is also a tendency towards confusion and distraction – which can contribute to an accident prone time.
It is wise to make an effort to remain calm, be patient, exercise caution and stay out of confrontation. If you are negotiating it is wise to anticipate the potential need to go back and redo the deal in the future.
Mercury will station direct October 10 which will lead to more clarity and a better time for dynamic action.
Amelia Shea advises clients on a broad range of issues:  family, relationship and transition as well as life path and career. She can be reached at 603 654 1043, amelia.shea@comcast.net and ameliashea.com. Her readings start at $30 and can be done by phone, email and in phone. Times mentioned are based on EDT

Neptune, Mercury and On Golden Pond

This weekend I was up at Lake Winnipesaukee. There is an old mural on the side of a pizza parlor there that I have wanted to photograph for awhile. Yesterday I finally managed to have my camera with me when I stopped for lunch.

The mural is a painting of a man and a golden retriever sitting on a dock. The man is fishing and an old wooden motor boat is tied up near him. The painting is faded and weather beaten but captures a slice of life in that small lakeside town where scenes from On Golden Pond were filmed.

I ordered my lunch and went out to shoot the photo of the mural but my camera made a weird beeping noise and would not work. I tried several different options for correcting it to no avail. I figured I would take it to my friend at the camera shop the next day and ask him to deal with it.

When I got up this morning and was preparing to go out and gathering my things together, I thought I should put the camera in the car so I didn’t forget it. But then it occurred to me that maybe I should try to replace the batteries and see if that would make it work.

But I couldn’t find the camera. I looked and looked – having downloaded photos from it the night before
I knew it was in the house. But it was nowhere to be found.

I have a good friend who has a strong Neptune in her chart. She uses the term, “like being lost in a fog bank off the coast,” to describe the kind of confusion that can occur with mundane affairs when Neptune is a strong influence as it is now.

But Neptune also connects us to the eternal and the divine.

This little story about my camera is a thumbnail sketch of the kind of the kind of hazy territory we are in with Mercury in Pisces preparing to station retrograde near Neptune. It is a good time to say, ”whatever” to malfunctioning equipment and general confusion – to take events like this in stride – with faith in the future that things will get straightened out eventually. Neptune also rules faith.

Mercury,Uranus and Innovation

“What is important, then, is not the cultivation of belief or disbelief, but to understand the process of the mind.” Jiddu Krishnamurti

Mercury stationed yesterday in a fiery trine to the planet of innovation and discovery, Uranus. Through mid month use this powerful alignment to revisit assumptions and beliefs – particularly those that might be based on an outdated model. Look to innovation now and inspired ideas rather than the tried and true.

quote from Divine Sparks by Linda Speerstra