This photo has done the rounds on email jokes- no idea where it originally came from.

House: Elevators keep crashing. Is Mercury in retrograde?

Mercury in my chart is retrograde natally, and being in Pisces (the sign of its detriment and fall) and in the 12^th house, is about as undignified as it is possible for a planet to be. As a result, Mercury retrograde periods tend not to cause me too much problems (famous last words). I have a friend with a 1^st house Gemini Sun and Mercury who now has these dates marked in her diary. She has had computer meltdowns, problems with televisions and phones and lost luggage during this period.

Mercury is retrograde between September 6  & 28. Readers of my previous blogs will know that this means that Mercury, relative to our position here on Earth, appears to be going backwards. Essentially there are 3 phases to a Mercury retrograde:

• The Shadow phase- when Mercury enters the part of the zodiac he will eventually track back through. This actually started a couple of weeks ago at 21 Virgo. This is a great time to prepare. Back up your hard drive, clear up disagreements wherever possible and get your travel arrangements and appointments re-confirmed.
• The actual retrograde period between 6-28 September.
• Another shadow or echo phase where Mercury is tracking back to where the retrograde motion started, ie at 6 Libra. He will reach this position mid October. Often issues which commenced during the 1^st shadow are given a final airing & resolution at this time.

But what does it all mean?

Mercury rules messages- information passing between people and points. During the retrograde period things don’t happen in the way that they are supposed to happen. Appointments get changed, travel plans get stuffed up, innocent conversations turn into relationship breaking arguments, emails don’t arrive and computers find new & inventive ways to dump vast quantities of data where it shouldn’t be and where it can’t be found.

General advice for Mercury retrograde periods is usually pretty simple:

• Avoid signing contracts
• Avoid major purchases
• Avoid making major commitments
• Avoid conflict
• Avoid implementing major software or technical projects
• Expect travel problems and delays and lost luggage
• Expect appointments to change
• Expect computer issues
• Expect your message to be mis-interpreted

Useful information, but as I mentioned before, we aren’t all affected equally by Mercury retrogrades. The way in which and the extent to which this period impacts you depends on the relative strength of Mercury in your  birth chart and what part of your chart Mercury is travelling through.

Quite simply:

• If you have the Sun, Moon, Mercury or Ascendant in Gemini or Virgo you will be impacted by every Mercury retrograde period
• If you have any planets between 21 Virgo and 6 Libra, be on high alert during this retrograde period

Obviously we can’t just shut up shop for these few weeks every couple of months, life has to go on… so what to do? Is the Mercury retrograde really as nasty and scary as us astrologers would have you think? The answer is no, it doesn’t need to be.

As with all retrograde periods, use this period as a time to integrate. Actually listen to what people say, let the messages sink in. Really understand.  We tend to make assumptions about people and their motivations or feelings. Especially over the next few weeks ask, don’t assume.

During this period, messages can go awry or be delivered in an unfamiliar way or format. Seek clarification, check that emails have gone to the correct address (& addressee), watch what you tweet and post on Facebook.

Use this time for planning, rather than for implementing changes. A little extra effort spent in understanding the intention and scope of what you want or need to achieve will save misunderstandings and problems down the track.

If possible delay making a final commitment on major decisions or purchases until after Mercury has stationed direct. Any major commitment deserves the investment of proper consideration.

I read a great article by Eric Francis from PlanetWaves who wrote: The reason not to make commitments during Mercury retrograde is not because “you’re not supposed to” but rather because, in general, it saves time to wait. By saves time, I mean you could save yourself a year of misdirected effort by pausing for a couple of weeks. (The article in question is available from PlanetWaves on subscription & is well worth the nominal spend).

If you really have to sign a contract, check, re-check, and have someone else check the fine print. Likewise with travel plans- ensure you have adequate insurance and copies of all itineraries and travel documents… stored separately to your luggage… Also ensure you build delays into your travel plans and allow sufficient time to get to appointments.

Think carefully before confronting a difficult subject. During this period it is easy for messages to be misinterpreted and a simple discussion around why you don’t want steak for dinner can easily turn into a “You have never loved me and I can’t do anything right” relationship buster. Things have a way of just seeming to sort themselves out after Mercury stations direct, so why waste the emotional investment now in arguing over something that actually means little in the scheme of things. If you absolutely must confront someone over something that is important to you, think before you speak.

Ok, things happen, possibly more often during Mercury retrograde than at other times, but with a little planning, some disciplined back-ups and a refresher course on your communication skills, this can be a creative time. Review, revise, listen and integrate.

A really busy week coming up. My astro pal AstroSparkles (follow her on Twitter) likened it to a Conga Line… and it is:

Mars in Cancer 26/8

Venus in Leo 27/8

Sun in Virgo 23/8

Mercury in Libra 26/8

With Jupiter and Neptune both continuing their retrograde through Aquarius, Uranus retrograde in Pisces and Pluto back in the 1st degree of Capricorn, the elemental energy in the sky is very clearly balanced through all elements. Not often that happens.

Anyway, here is a brief rundown of what Mercury, Mars and Venus will be up to:

Mercury in Libra 26/8/09 (around 3am Sydney time)

Mercury moves (briefly) into Libra early on Wednesday morning. He is slowing down, though, ready to turn retrograde. More on that next week.

Mercury in Libra is often accused of being indecisive… but then again…

What comes across as indecision is often a calculated balancing act as Mercury in Libra weighs all possible alternatives and viewpoints before presenting the most diplomatic response. And that is the real reason your decisions take so long- you don’t want to upset anyone (arguments and conflict can be messy and unsightly) and charm is a significantly more attractive feature.

Mars in Cancer 26/8/09 (around 4am Sydney time)

Mars moves out of social Gemini into the strong emotional cravings of Cancer. And Mars can be surprisingly sexual and responsive in Cancer… as long as their partner is able to read those oh so subtle signals. The Crab needs to be wanted and can be as sexually possessive as Scorpio… long after you probably should have yelled and screamed and thrown things and moved on.  But how do you manage to let go when you bury everything so deep and showing your passion is to risk rejection?

If you have Mars in Cancer, what you want (Mars) is Cancerian in nature, ie security, safety. You will express anger (Mars) in a very Cancerian way too- generally by sidestepping conflict and running back to your shell to stew and practice what you would have, should have said or thrown (personally I find a Colorado wedge to be the most aero-dynamic and accurate- and has such a satisfying thud when it hits the target). Getting a handle on your moods is difficult, exposing them is harder still.

Girls, if you are fortunate enough to have a man with Mars in Cancer, enjoy him. OK, he may not be direct with his feelings, you may need to do some guesswork and deal with some sulks and the occasional passive aggressive grumping, but he will have a good understanding of your needs- Mars in Cancer is sensitive… he will also protect you for all he is worth.

Venus in Leo 27/8/09 (around 2.30am Sydney time)

Venus in Leo personifies the drama of romance, to be in love with love, the whole queenly concept of “wooing”-do people actually “woo” these days?  Leo likes to shine and what better way to shine than in the light of being adored. Venus in Leo is creative, dramatic and the ultimate brand diva- she loves luxury and is always impeccably groomed. Venus in Leo is a hairdresser’s cash-flow dream come true.

It isn’t all one way traffic though; Venus in Leo is proud in her relationships and will repay respect with loyalty and generosity. Venus in Leo will demonstrate her affections freely and flamboyantly, but be warned- affection, loyalty and respect are not able to be separated. If she can’t respect you, she can’t be loyal to you and she can’t love you- likewise, if you can’t be loyal to her, she won’t respect you and so on. Boredom kicks in when the admiration stops… ignore her and Venus in Leo will find someone else who will pay her the attention she needs. Venus in Leo works hard to look great and needs to be admired, to a large degree the ego is closely linked with the level to which one is adored.

Men with Venus in Leo are looking for their “Queen”, someone other men can admire (from a distance) and someone whose looks or recognition will enhance their own ego. The Madonna factor- someone out of the ordinary, someone who can grace a red carpet with aplomb is who Mr Venus Leo is after.

Virgo (Image from the Symbalon Deck)

Virgo gets a bad rap. The perfectionist, the clean freak, the nag, the nit- picker, the martyr, the critic. With this post, however, I really was trying to avoid the clichés. Virgo deserves better than that, and my Virgo friends deserve better than that. This week, however, I have been bombarded with images of the shadow Virgo. My Grandmother (not the 91 year old dancing in stilettos one) once said to me “Jo, you have no idea how hard it is to be a Virgo.” Its true, I don’t.  The ultimate cliché is that it has taken me a few days of re-write to complete this post… and I still don’t believe I have done justice to Virgo.

As with all signs, there are contradictions within Virgo. Just as everyone can hold up a non-competitive Aries Sun as proof that astrology doesn’t work, we all know a Virgo living in, shall we say, less than perfect hygienic conditions. If we looked closely at that Aries, we would find an area of life in which that person is a veritable warrior. Likewise, if we examine the Virgo in question, there will be some part of their existence which is controlled and organised. Further, we all have an area of life controlled by Virgo. It will be that part of us which most desires perfection. I am getting ahead of myself.

In describing the true purpose and motivation of Sun sign, I often find it useful to look at the part of the body ruled by the sign. With Virgo, it is digestion and assimilation. This function looks critically at the fuel which has been ingested, analyses its value and sends it to where it needs to go. Sound familiar? Critical analysis of the information received. Attention to detail is an absolute requirement to achieve the desired result. So it is in life. Virgo, operating at its highest has the ability to absorb information, break it down into more manageable pieces, classify it, organise it and get it to where it needs to go.  Virgo is the ultimate Project Manager in this regard. Pretty essential stuff, but often over-looked and taken for granted.

Whilst the reward can be completed tasks with all boxes ticked, the downside can be an over attention to detail on occasions where that the big picture does not require it. Virgo is prone to mental exhaustion due to her propensity to stress over little things- to make mountains out of a mole-hill, as my mother would say. Again, I am ahead of myself.

Virgo is a mutable earth sign ruled by Mercury. This means Virgo has the real and honest practicality and sensuality of earth, the love of information of Mercury, and the flexibility to juggle it. But more than anything, Virgo knows that perfection can be attained, that things really can be as good as they should be. This is not the unbridled optimism of Jupiter and Sagittarius, but rather a firm conviction that if tasks and issues are broken down and organised, jobs will be completed and problems resolved and perfection realised. In balance, this potential for growth and achievement is exciting.  This is why when Virgo appears to be nagging or critical, it truly is because they think you have the potential and ability to make things better and be the best you can be. Your bum really might look fat in those jeans.

Taking this one step further, Virgo is identified with the 6^th house of the birth chart. This area of life is concerned with the details of life, with service, servants and (traditionally) sickness or (in more modern times) health.   Virgo is here to serve. Virgo service is not entirely selfless, nor is it associated with the spotlight ego of Leo service. It is simply service. Service is the purpose of Virgo and Virgo becomes its’ work. This also explains why health and hygiene is often a key focus for Virgo. A Virgo friend once joked (at least I thought it was a joke) that she likes nothing better than to have her husband on a diet.  

The Virgo shadow, and the grounds on which the clichés are built, comes when the drive for perfection becomes all encompassing. When the self is martyred to an impossibly exhausting and ever growing task-list. In project terms, we would call it “scope-creep”. We see it often in the workplace where Virgo does a great job, is “rewarded” with more work, which increases the pressure on detail, which creates anxiety, which may lead to mistakes, which leads to more pressure and so on.

I read a great article that could have been written for Virgo the other day in Mind Food magazine entitled The Myth of Perfection. The article talks about the use of the terms “I should”, or “I must” and warns of the dissatisfaction which can come from high expectations and unrealistic goals, and the pressure on the relationships of those who demand perfection. There can be the idea that if something can’t be done perfectly it shouldn’t be done at all- the image of the dieter who, on accepting one square of chocolate, decides that she can’t do this properly so may as well finish the block.

This is the shadow of Virgo. It is one where opportunities for growth, fun and achievement are lost or hidden under the weight of what must be done. Where the schedule must be maintained no matter what other distractions or temptations or enjoyment can be had. Where a social outing can’t be enjoyed until after the bathroom has been cleaned.   The saddest part of this scenario is the lack of compassion Virgo can show towards herself. Virgo unfairly undervalues herself and in doing so reinforces the cycle, thinking she can be better, more virtuous, and more indispensable. In doing for others, Virgo often shows little kindness towards herself.

As I briefly mentioned earlier, wherever Virgo is in your chart will be the part of life which you want to make perfect. Such idealism is wonderful, but needs to be tempered with the risk of scope creep. Personally, with Virgo on the cusp of my 7^th house, the area of life I am most likely to be critical of, and least likely to be satisfied, is in relationships- including that with myself. With a Pisces Sun/ Virgo Pluto opposition, I am only just starting to realise that I am projecting my own tendencies towards perfectionism and self sacrifice into my relationships.

Polarity is an important concept in astrology, sort of like homeopathy in a way, but in this case, we can look to a little of the opposite sign to provide the medicine. In the case of a Virgo shadow, a little Piscean slacking off can be a good thing. (Just as with the Pisces shadow, a little Virgo attention to detail helps). My astro pal Neeti Ray suggested on Facebook that I “give that Virgo a wine”… not a bad idea- I was hung up on the detail.

My message to Virgo? Show yourself some compassion, you are enough now as you are… the sun is shining and the bathroom can wait… maybe even until next weekend.

The Sun moves into Virgo around 10am 23/8/09 Sydney time.

Last month on Facebook, I changed my relationship status with Saturn to “deregistered”. Astro pals, Facebook friends, and Twitter followers would know that this separation has been a long time in the works. If asked, I would cite irreconcilable differences. By de-registering Saturn, I could therefore, in true Piscean style, ignore the transits that he was getting really serious about.

However, Saturn, as I have discovered this week, really does not like to be ignored. He is like the auditor who turns up with the same tie halfway up his chest and with the same green pen asks the same question over and over and flipping over until he gets the answer that he wanted in the first place.

As Steve Forrest has so beautifully put it, Saturn wants you to climb a mountain. Apparently you can’t just go out, look for a suitable mountain and climb the thing.  Oh, no. This has to be Biggest Loser style where you hike to the foothills in badly fitting boots so you end up with blisters. Then you get your backpack and fill it with the amount of weight you have to lose and then start the struggle up the mountain, facing sheer cliff faces, falling rocks, more blisters and other obstacles. Then you get to the top, sit on it for a while savouring the view, shed a few tears over the journey and the lessons you have learned and go back down again.  Whatever.  

Saturn, in my chart, is in the 1^st degree of Aries in the 1^st house. So, my attitude to climbing physical and metaphorical mountains is pretty well one of “getting it over with”. Once I am at the top, I don’t have time to faff around. I take a photo of the view and move on.

Saturn to me has always represented the things I dislike fear- authority, boundaries, constraints, time.  Saturn forms no (in sign) aspects to any other planet in my chart. Having no strong Capricorn or Aquarian influences, I tend not to integrate Saturn on a day to day basis. And that, I think, has really started to piss him off. It has only been in the last few years that I really started to notice the annoyance of a Saturn transit, and only in the last 6 months or so that I have actually considered what it should mean.

When Saturn was in Leo and moving through my 6^th house of, as I term it, “health stuff, feeling crap and outsourced services, everything I had outsourced, was in-sourced:

• My cleaner moved – which at 1^st was OK because it meant I didn’t need to confront her over how she kept putting things back on my sideboard in pairs and a straight line when I liked them grouped in uneven numbers and off centre.
• My Hairdresser closed
• My Beautician had a baby and closed shop
• The guy who cleaned cars at work and left a chocolate on the dash for me sold the business
• The family vet retired

Inconvenient, but hardly life-changing.

During this period, I also lost a heap of weight in an Aries Saturn fashion- quickly, without staying power. I took the 6^th house lesson without really learning it. As soon as I relaxed back into my old habits, the weight crept back on- I had not learned anything- except that Saturn doesn’t do compromise.

When Saturn was in the 5^th, I came face to face with and dealt maturely with long running fertility issues. While he was in the 4th we used the equity in our property to invest in other real estate. Unconsciously, I had done the Saturn work asked during each of those transits, so why not now? Aside from a dalliance with Jupiter (and its square to Venus) during that nasty 5^th house time, Saturn’s transits had really not aspected any of my personal planets. I had not had to confront my own Saturn story.

Now that Saturn is in the 7^th house he is opposing all of my 1^st house Pisces planets and squaring the Midheaven and IC. He is also joining forces with other members of the Karmic Council as he meets up with Pluto, Uranus and sextiles Neptune. No longer an inconvenience, this is now personal. With transits like those below, over the next 12-18 months (not even including the fun that Uranus is continuing to have at my expense), even I can no longer ignore the message:

• Saturn square MC/IC
• Saturn conjunct DC (opp ASC)
• Saturn conjunct Pluto (which seems fair as Pluto is squaring natal Saturn after having his fun with my Moon)
• Saturn opposes Sun (exact this week)
• Saturn conjunct Uranus
• Saturn opposes Chiron, trine Jupiter, trine Neptune
• Saturn opposes Moon
• Saturn opposes Saturn
• Saturn opposes Venus

Only Mercury and Mars miss out- Saturn hit them in 2008. Obviously, the Universe is telling me I need to reassess my relationship with Saturn and look at patching things up with him.

Whilst I have always preferred to lead, I don’t particularly enjoy the responsibility of a team. In the workplace, I will set goals and ensure they are completed, but personally, I have always been quite directionless. I am impatient, easily frustrated and don’t queue well. This is Saturn in Aries.

I have always felt that I am not quite good enough, that I won’t be “chosen”. I have never stopped to think what actually constitutes “good enough” or what I want to be “chosen” for. As a result, I have hidden behind these fears and excuses and my own self imposed responsibility for others and have never quite lived up to my own potential. I have succeeded in many things, but always find a new road before mastering anything completely. This protects me from rejection- from a fear that my best may still not be “good enough”. This is Saturn in the 1^st house.

With Saturn moving through the 7^th house, I also have to look closely at the relationships I need to help me with my (as yet undefinedJ) goals and to re-commit to those people. I think (and hope) I am doing that, although the process has not been without pain, insecurity and the occasional kick in the guts. And I am still not sure I am on the right track.

Over the last 12 months or so a number of people I have loved dearly have moved away. Whilst I felt their loss, it also opened my social calendar to let others in. As Saturn rules the 11^th house in my chart, it also rules my friends and community, as well as my hopes and dreams.

So, maybe Saturn is asking me to put some structure and definition around my hopes and dreams, accept myself and commit to those relationships that I need in my life, whilst removing those habits and people which quite literally are weighing me down. I am getting closer to knowing what I want, who I want to be, and how I want to be seen. I am also getting closer to understanding those parts of me which are holding me back. I am starting to realise that Saturn lesson is to learn to accept myself, to learn direction, and to learn to enjoy the journey and the achievement. I can still take the photo, but need to savour the view before moving on to whatever is next. In true 1^st house fashion, I beginning to realise that I am my own mountain.

Flying Space Rocks. Pic by Dan Collier www.dreamstime.com

Welcome to Planet Scorpio

Scene 1

Date Night. Four Foot Nothing (FFN) has been deposited at Camp Grandma and Scorpio Hubby (SH) and I are walking up and down the line of restaurants trying to come to an agreement on somewhere to eat.

Me: This place looks nice. Good menu selection.

SH: mmmm, pretty expensive plate of pasta, don’t you think.

Me: What about this place? You can get a steak here if you want.

SH: Yes, but is there anything on the menu you want to eat?

By now, I am getting a little exasperated, but in the interests of date night…

Me: What do you feel like eating?

SH: I’m pretty easy. Your choice, love.

Me: OK, we are eating Vietnamese.

SH: Sounds good.

Later… sipping our first glass of vino, while sharing some salt & pepper calamari…

SH: This is nice. But I really felt like a steak at the place next door…

Me: You should have said.

SH: I did.

Welcome to Planet Scorpio.

I have spent the last 20 years living with a Scorpio. I work for a Scorpio, my father is a Scorpio & one of my closest girlfriends is a Scorpio. I am surrounded by them, adore their depth and intensity and, as a result, am actually pretty good (usually) at speaking Scorpio. But every so often I do mess up.

Scene 2

After a difficult week of long hours, lots of running FFN around to social events and SH at endless off-sites, the inevitable happens and a general discussion over something completely inane turns into an all out yelling match (me) and silence (SH).

SH: But you know the pressure I have been under.

Me: How can I know if you haven’t told me?

SH: But I have told you. You just weren’t listening.

He hadn’t told me verbally, but in review, I should have recognised the signs. Welcome to Planet Scorpio.

When a Scorpio finally gives their heart and their trust (the 2 are inseparable), they expect that you will in return give your heart and soul. Scorpio doesn’t just love, they demand complete merging. With that is an expectation that you feel everything as intensely as they do. There is also an expectation that the channels of non verbal communication are wide open. This translates to, they don’t only assume that you can read their minds, it simply doesn’t occur to them that you can’t.

Scorpio doesn’t offer anything up. You have to earn it. As I said, I am normally pretty good at reading the signals. This is why Pisces and Scorpio often go well together (as long as they can avoid drowning each other).  In fact, this is why water signs all work reasonably well, on a Sun sign level, anyway. We all live through and are motivated by our feelings on a level which is non verbal.

When a Scorpio calls you out of the blue to talk about nothing, what they are really calling for is so that you can ask the questions that need to be asked so they can tell you without telling you what they need to tell you. If you can speak Scorp, the exact words don’t need to be said and the emotional connection can be undeniably amazing.

Do you think we need to talk about this?

I don’t know, do you think we need to talk about this?

If you don’t think we need to, I guess we don’t need to.

It has all been said and understood. Over and out.