On Friday/Saturday, August 20-21 the Sun opposes Neptune. This is a tiring transit and some people may not even feel like getting out of bed. It can create a lot of insecurity and confusion. It may generate a feeling of listlessness or giving up and exhaustion, as well as a feeling that it is futile to go on. It represents the possibility of mis-communication or lies and deception. On the positive end it can create the energy for big things on a creative/psychic level, or it could represent an intuitive moment or a ‘religious experience.’ It is best used in helping those less fortunate than yourself. Neptune always calls for sacrifice. The transit also represents oil and water and we will likely see a continuation of disruptive weather events, or more news about the three oil spills occurring in the world at this time.-the Gulf, China and Michigan. One fifth of Pakistan is under water as this is written, and China is consumed in mudslides. Thousands have died and while there is not an overabundance of news on major US networks, these situations represent major catastrophic world/earth events.
Also on Friday, the planet of communication retrogrades and becomes ‘the planet of mis-communication.’ Mercury usually retrogrades three times a year and this time it is in the sign of Virgo at 19 degrees. Virgo is the natural ruler of the sixth house of health and work and it is in these areas we will face issues. It is best not to purchase major items, sign contracts or start new jobs during the next three weeks, but life being what it is sometimes we have no choice. I have tested this theory many times over and always end up the loser, Except once. I was purchasing a house and the owner’s discovered they had to sell a larger parcel of land with the house in that community, and I was able to get a bigger lot at a lower price. I always tell clients, with retrograde Mercury you can be a winner or a loser, depending upon the chart. Case in point: OJ Simpson. He was acquitted of the murder of his wife, Nichole, during a retrograde on October 3, 1995, with Mercury retrograde at 13 degrees of Libra. Jurors were later questioned, and most of them regretted the decision. He wasn’t so lucky however, exactly 13 years to the day later on October 3, 2008, when he was convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas. Mercury was retrograde that day at 18 degrees of Libra. Oh, well, karma is hell to pay, and he is still in prison.
So, if you can avoid major purchases, new jobs, and signing contracts it is best. Projects get slowed down, communication becomes more difficult and machines break—as do relationships, but usually only the ones that are at the breaking point anyway. Often new information regarding various situations in our lives is uncovered during retrograde Mercury.
What retrograde Mercury is actually good for is reflection, re-doing and re-thinking. Sometimes you can catch up with people from the past, and reconnect. This is the highest and best use of the energy, unless you are in a position to take time off, visit a retreat and truly reflect on the past. It is a time for planning, not taking action. And when you do take action it will probably change.
Mercury is currently stationary retrograde at 18 degrees of Virgo Tuesday, August 17. Author/astrologer Carol Rushman writes, “When Mercury stations in the sixth house or Virgo, the mental energy expresses itself in an analytical way. The mind is organized. Opinions are reached after much consternation and thought. The need for perfection, however, may delay decision making. During this stationing period, people will be exceptional picky and critical. They can be critical of others’, but are usually hardest on themselves.”
Mercury will be stationary retrograde on September 11-15. It goes direct at 5 degrees of Virgo on September 12.
The weekend will get more interesting as Venus and Mars line up together at 13, 14 and 15 degrees of Libra on August 21,22 and 23. If this three degree range connects with a personal planet in your chart it will represent a somewhat significant event in your love life or your social life. It doesn’t have to be the love of your life, but it shold count for something! It is a good time for entertaining, and many will feel the spark of attraction. If it is connecting well in your chart, you could meet someone new. That said, Mars and Venus together create a certain amount of tension and sparks could fly either way. Venus is at home transiting the sign ruling relationships.
On Saturday, August 21, the Saturn-Pluto square that has been occurring all summer starts to separate. Astrologer Mitch Lewis writes, “There are more major wars begun while these two are in conflict in the sky. In 1914-15 Saturn was conjunct Pluto in Cancer as the First World War began. In 1939-40 Saturn in Taurus was in square to Pluto in Leo, to herald in the Second World War. In 1942 Saturn conjunct Uranus, first in Taurus, then in Gemini, guaranteeing a continued instability and explosiveness for years. In 1945 Saturn in Cancer squared Neptune in Libra causing a great deal of confusion and misrepresentation. The Battle of the Bulge was basically a Neptunian venture. There was little behind the German’s bravado, yet they almost succeeded in tricking us into an armistice, rather than a complete surrender. The point is that when Saturn is afflicted by the outer planets there are usually world events. It’s been getting trounced lately. This is what leads many of us in this business to expect serious world events. But they rarely come exactly on the aspect.”
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