To the list that Eric Francis posts below, let me add another important pulse point: November 1, the exact square between Uranus and Pluto (one in a series between 2012-2015). Which means that during the week prior and post-exactness, the primal revolutionary energy will be ramped way up.
Mercury retrograding through Scorpio, accompanied by the deeply burning Scorpio Sun and slow, thorough, disciplined Saturn: prepare to go deep, slowly, persistently scouring the dregs of your emotional well. What’s down there that you never wanted to deal with; or when you did it about killed you, so let’s leave well enough alone! Well, you can’t. It’s time for full disclosure. To yourself, first. Then let the chips fall where they may, because they will, you know, you can bet on that — especially if Scorpio is strong in your natal chart.
Mercury stations retrograde in Scorpio
by Eric Francis
Today we experience the first of a series of events involving Scorpio, which together make up the peak astrology of 2013. It’s fair to say that Scorpio is the most challenging sign for many people, mainly due to the subject matter it covers: a dimension of the emotional/psychological/psychic realm that embraces the themes of sex, death, surrender and exchange of resources (money, feelings, DNA, and others).
Photo by Eric Francis / Blue Studio, New York.
To understand Scorpio, then imagine this whole branch of experience thrown under a veil of denial or concealed by a game of pretend, broadly known as taboo.
Taboos tend to cover some of the most obvious facets of life, as well as the ones we’re the most curious about and driven by.
Humans tend to live with taboo like it’s the thing to do, though after a while, if you’re paying attention, you might notice that it starts to seem like we live in a society of people who don’t wash or practice any form of hygiene in the bathroom, and are convinced that nobody else notices. The reek of the lies, secrets and denial becomes totally oppressive, but just about everyone pretends it’s not there.
The series of events we’re about to experience will serve, one after the next, to make the game of pretend harder and harder to maintain. This begins with Mercury stationing retrograde in Scorpio. I know I’ve said that the slower planets tend to be the most potent in their effects. Despite this, Mercury, which usually moves pretty fast, is one of the most influential planets in our lives. We’re immersed in a world of mercurial devices, rapid communication, information, ideas and trivia.
Oh, and lies, secrets and silence.
Today, Mercury will move just one arc minute — relative to the Earth, it’s moving at the same pace as Pluto. (At peak speed, Mercury can move 100 times faster than this.) In Scorpio, a station of Mercury can represent the revelation of secrets, a discovery or the admission of something to yourself. I don’t mean finally accepting that you like Twinkies. I mean the admission of something deep, perhaps something you’ve been concealing from yourself since childhood.
Now, denial is one of the weirdest games of the human mind. It’s a flirtation with awareness and acceptance. There are reasons people have to deny things — mostly as a means of protecting a belief, or the status quo of a relationship. Sometimes this is about not wanting to threaten someone. The equation, “I will lie to myself so that I don’t threaten you” is applied a lot more often than people want to admit.
But these rationales grow weak and tired and eventually the truth breaks through — and that’s what the astrology is presenting us now. There will be opportunities to unburden yourself, and, coupled with an eclipse (that’s conjunct Saturn) opportunities to turn your awareness into real change.
Regardless of the subject area, the retrograde station of Mercury defines one boundary in a region of time that lasts about three weeks and is a self-contained world of its own. Within this world, you will have the opportunity to experience, consider and process what is revealed, or what you reveal to yourself. Though there are invitations to go deep (for example, a solar eclipse in Scorpio coming up soon), I recommend that you start at the edge and work your way in toward the center — gently, slowly and persistently.
It would be helpful if you dedicate yourself to truth, which can start with admitting to yourself the truth about yourself. That’s the most important truth there is; with that, the process of defragmentation has a good start. Think of this all as a process of making peace with yourself; of finding your integrity and living through it, and for it.
Here are some of the main events of the next few weeks.
Mercury stations retrograde in Scorpio at 6:29 am EDT on Monday, Oct. 21. Mercury will station direct (the end of the retrograde) on Sat. Nov. 10, 2013.
Sun enters Scorpio at 2:09 am EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
Retrograde Mercury conjunct Saturn in Scorpio (second of three events) at 4:48 pm EDT on Oct. 29. The Moon is conjunct Mars in Virgo for this event.
Annular-total solar eclipse in Scorpio at 8:49 pm EDT on Nov. 3, 2013. This eclipse is conjunct the North Node, Mercury and Saturn. There are also minor planets involved. Here is a reference to the charts, with minor planets, for this past Friday’s eclipse of the Moon, and the solar eclipse on Nov. 3.
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With Moon, Venus and Neptune, all in Scorpio, conjunct in my first House ( Trine Pluto/Uranus in the 11th and Jupiter in Pisces in the 5th, Squaring Saturn in the 4th ) this has been a very raw life, but, the last two and half years were beyond raw. Three weeks before the Solar eclipse in Cancer, of July 2011, I lost my son to war. He was a cancer Sun with NN in Gemini in the 11th H. I can look at the Astrology of this event to try and ‘rationalize’ what actually took place but, in my heart, this was no place to start to look for answers. I knew what the “military industrial complex” was all about by that time. I just could not convince my son that this was a criminal organization that used people for their benefit. Having experienced the trauma of separation from me when he was a child he could not hear the information, only my rejection. He was the military and if I rejected the military then I rejected him.
This event took me to the core of myself. 13 years ago, when my son first joined, I was not at this particular place of revelation…or better to call it truth….of the world in which we live, so did not discourage him from joining the ‘military’. I was deluded that we were not an oppressive regime that pillaged and plundered in the name of profit. I could only see the superficial pomp and circumstance of being ‘militarized’ ( Mars in Leo in the 10th H ). It was merely a career in which one moved slowly up the ranks based on their performance. These kind of shallow thoughts are the cause of so much pain and suffering throughout the world. I believed my country and it’s institutions were fair if not revolutionary. ( All those years of indoctrination had an affect on a mind still evolving and maturing. )
Truth be told I was suffering Cognitive Dissonance.
When my son was killed I had to face a lot about myself and the impact of my erroneous and ignorant thoughts….and actions. I had to go all the way back to a day I ‘heard’ in my mind this admonition, “Take your children out of society or it will kill them.” Since the age of five I have had contact with my off world family. These beings have been a very large part of life that I have had to deny in order to function in this world…..but, I have gained nothing from operating within this world’s de-mented parameters. I have lost my sons in more ways than just physical and they all cause me immeasurable grief. I am burned to the ground.
This entire life was like eating things that I did not want to eat. I felt forced upon by this world and was not able to cope with the loss of my son so I decided to seek a counselor…an elder…and an elder I found in Linda Fitch. I had no idea that this Christian Counselor would, or even could, be the impetus for my growth. Maybe growth is not the appropriate word to use here. All that I know is that she allowed me to start living and speaking “what is real”.
During one of the sessions she had asked me this question and I felt as though all the truths that I had been repressing were about to burst forth….and, they did. I told he all about my contact with off world beings. I told her of all the truths and wisdoms that they revealed to me and how I had to repress all of this information in order to function in this world. How I felt forced to live a lie and that my son lost his life due to my inability to incorporate these truths and wisdoms into my core and live them …despite what others may think of me.
I felt deeply that I had killed my own child….as well other children…..and, in truth, I did so with my ignorance.
Ignorance kills life. Lies kill love.
Saturn sitting upon my Venus, Neptune Moon forces me to share truth and the beauty of truth. Truth is really not subjective at all as many report and not at all as terrifying as one may think.
Having to come to terms with my own ignorance and inability to choose truth over popularity is a very humiliating experience. It has taken me to what is “real”, honest and decent. It has taken me all the way back to the wisdoms that were shared with me by off world beings.
If I have concealed anything it has been truth and beauty.
I hope that some mother , or father, who is reading this will hear the truth and wisdom in what I was told 26 years ago and do just this. Take your children out of this society.
This one action can change the world.
Thank you so much, Jamie, for this beautiful raw reflection on the healing in your own life and love.