So…..here we are again with another backward, slightly annoying three weeks of Mercury (planet of communication) going retrograde! It gets a bad rap, however, as the universe makes no mistakes, and it does happen about three time a year on average and we always survive, so I say don’t panic.

The thing is when this planet appears to go backwards it is only a signal for us to slow down, take stock and review what is going on. It’s true that somehow our computers, cars and general scheduling of events can go a little haywire, but really, it is just a matter of paying attention and being as much in the moment as possible. There is always something going on to try us and at these times we may find there will be a few extra sticks thrown across our paths as we navigate our way through these next few weeks. It goes direct on October 10th, but give it a week after then before things start to re-calibrate.

The other big news is that big old daddy Saturn has finally finished his time in Scorpio after he went back in for one last visit from mid June and now is coasting through the truth seeking and philosophical sign of Sagittarius.  Here he will bring up our urge for seeking our inner truth. Sag is very broad in his thinking and deals mostly with higher learning, religion, spirituality and generally triggers some great soul searching. While in Scorpio (since Oct 2012) it purged us and dug up all the deep stuff that may have been lying dormant and hidden and now we will be striving to put into practice what now lies before us….hopefully for the greater good. It’s a bit like the Phoenix rising out of the ashes now.  It can stir up the fundamentalists so be mindful of that and try and move forward with clarity and don’t let that tendency to push one’s views upon others take over. It can be a great opportunity to get in touch with our authentic selves and be on target with our true path, whatever that may be. 

Another strong aspect is between Jupiter & Neptune. Jupiter rules Sagittarius and it is big and bold and tends to expand all it touches. Neptune is nebulous and hard to pin down and is about dreams, visions and illusions, so with these two slow moving trans-personal planets facing off we may see a lot of what we thought we had or was…..becoming a bit of an illusion perhaps. Back in 2009 they were both in conjunction (close together) so that intense aspect sowed the seeds for how life can be – showing us how to pursue a new dream in many ways. How are your dreams or shaping up? Have they taken root, or are things not quite as you had hoped since then? Not to sound pessimistic as for many they have manifested well, but for some, it may not have worked out so well. Also with Jupiter currently in the workhorse and self sacrificing Virgo, we may be overworked. Remembering that all Jupiter touches he expands so keep track of your workload, and at the same time in connection with Neptune, the opposite may happen and some may throw the towel in and give it all up in search of utopia without thought of keeping one foot on the ground! Such is the nature of Neptune. Then what can happen is we can play the ‘victim.’ Neptune can bring great vision and creative growth but we must use that Virgo common sense and not ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater.’

So hold onto your hats with Mercury going backwards as far as 0 deg in Libra and also touching the North Node in Libra and Black Moon Lillith, which suggests that we are about to head in the right direction, our souls destiny. It favors cooperation and harmonious interactions. There are some challenging moments where he squares off with power planet Pluto but we are still in the eclipse season so the chance to make new beginnings reigns high for us all and all things considered this phase of Mercury retrograde is probably the most opportunistic phase in as far as a chance for us to make the necessary changes for our clear path ahead. May this be the case for all of you. Enjoy the challenges and celebrate the lessons that come from them.

Love and light,

Anne. 🙂