| Too many people have too many superstitions about | | | | Our new President should have some very important |
| Mercury's retrograde. They think its like Friday the | | | | messages for us on how he is going to clean up the |
| 13th and everything's going to go wrong. My power | | | | mess left for him from the past. With Aquarius |
| dropped out for a minute the night before last, and | | | | involved, he may have some new and unique ideas. |
| my cell phone carrier had a server crash today, and I | | | | For the rest of us, we may find we are ready to dig |
| wasn't receiving my incoming calls. (I am writing this | | | | into and sort out old papers, or perhaps try a new |
| article during the interim between Christmas and New | | | | approach to an old problem. There could also be |
| Year 2008.) If Mercury were in retrograde now, | | | | some unexpected messages from old friends around |
| everybody would be running around saying, "Its | | | | that time, especially male friends. |
| Mercury! Its Mercury's fault!" This stuff happens all | | | | Mercury in retrograde will conjunct Mars in Capricorn |
| the time, and it has nothing to do with Mercury's | | | | on January 27th and Venus will be sending them |
| transit. | | | | some positive energy at the same time. The Sun and |
| Mercury is the ruler of transportation and | | | | Moon will be creating a Solar eclipse on January 26th, |
| communication. He is the messenger God in | | | | so we will definitely be ready for some changes. Mars |
| mythology. Mercury also rules our minds and logic, | | | | is the God of energy, so many of us will be initiating |
| and he governs communication processes on the | | | | those changes. There could be some old romances |
| Internet. When a planet is actually in it's backward | | | | rekindle at this time. Are you thinking of contacting |
| motion, it's affects are usually a bit more subdued, | | | | an old lover? This will be the best time. |
| but not normally bad. It usually pulls up past issues for | | | | As Mercury turns direct (direct station), he will be |
| us to deal with. With Mercury being the messenger, | | | | making a positive angle to the Saturn-Uranus |
| we often get calls from old friends, and past over | | | | opposition going on this year. (You can read more |
| loved ones will also come a knocking. Situations often | | | | about Saturn Oppose Uranus in my article, "The Odd |
| urge us to reevaluate our goals and our values when | | | | Couple.") This should help to make his transition back |
| Mercury is in retrograde. Also, if we have been | | | | to forward motion fairly stable. We may hit a few of |
| pushing our luck in the past, Mercury may make us | | | | the typical transportation and communication |
| pay up. | | | | problems, but we will be able to deal with them. In |
| When a planet is in retrograde it appears to be | | | | fact, we may just surprise ourselves just how well |
| moving backward across the sky. All the planets | | | | we deal with them. |
| except the Sun and the Moon turn retrograde every | | | | Okay, its now amateur astrologer time. Let's see |
| now and then. In fact the outer planets are in | | | | how Mercury's retrograde is going to affect you. |
| retrograde almost as much as they are moving | | | | Mercury will transit this retrograde from 8 degrees |
| forward. Mercury gets special attention from | | | | Aquarius to 22 degrees Capricorn. So, check your |
| astrologers, because he is so close to the earth, and | | | | natal charts. |
| because his retrograde happens so often, 3 - 4 times | | | | First look at which house or houses in your chart that |
| per year. And to let the inquisitive know, Mercury will | | | | he will be traveling through. You will probably find that |
| only have 3 retrograde periods this year. | | | | the areas in your life that (those) house(es) covers |
| The difficult times of any retrograde is when the | | | | will be put on hold, and you will probably show little |
| planet is in the process of changing directions, which | | | | progress. An example, if you are out of work and |
| is called the stations. During that time the planet is | | | | Mercury's retrograde will be covering your 6th house |
| not moving much at all, and it is figuratively burning a | | | | of work, you may as well take a temporary job until |
| hole in the universe. In Mercury's case the stations | | | | Mercury turns direct, any permanent jobs probably |
| are usually just the days his retrograde begins and | | | | won't pan out. |
| ends. With slower outer planets, we may feel the | | | | Next, are Mercury's Retrograde Station (8 degrees |
| effects of the stations a few days before and after | | | | Aquarius) or Direct Station (22 degrees Capricorn) |
| the day it changes directions. | | | | going to aspect any of your natal planets or power |
| This Mercury retrograde will begin (retrograde | | | | points? If you have any planets or points between 6 |
| station) on January 11th in Aquarius. Mercury is going | | | | degrees and 10 degrees in Aquarius, Taurus, Leo, or |
| to have a lot of planets insulating him and no planets | | | | Scorpio (fixed signs), then you may find that |
| aspecting him, so it shouldn't be too tough. There will | | | | Mercury's Retrograde Station (January 11th) could |
| be a Full Moon on January 10th, so we may have | | | | bring some changes that are forced upon you, |
| more problems with Mercury's retrograde station on | | | | depending upon which planet or power point. |
| the 10th rather than the actual day of the station. To | | | | Remember outer planets (Jupiter on out) affect us |
| put it in English, we may find that we have a few | | | | more as a generation, so they won't have as much |
| travel problems or miscommunications during the | | | | impact, but inner planets and power points could |
| evening of January 10th, but by the evening of the | | | | make the changes much more dramatic in our lives. |
| 11th, we should find that things are functioning again. | | | | Planets and power points between 6 and 10 degrees |
| Jupiter, the Sun, and Mars will all cross Mercury as he | | | | in Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra, this Mercury |
| moves along his backwards path, and those days | | | | Retrograde station may bring some opportunities |
| could prove to be significant. Mercury will conjunct | | | | disguised as problems. |
| Jupiter on January 18th and that could really bring old | | | | Now let's look at Mercury's Direct Station on |
| friends back into our lives. Jupiter brings expansion | | | | February 1st (January 31st for our friends in Europe). |
| and Mercury, communication, so there is also a strong | | | | If you have any planets or power points between 20 |
| possibility we may want to talk about situations from | | | | and 24 degrees in Capricorn, Aries, Cancer, and Libra |
| our past. It will also be a great day for recollections, | | | | (cardinal signs), you may find that some people are |
| so if you are writing that autobiography, January 18th | | | | not listening to you or even lying to you. There could |
| will be the day to sit down and compose. | | | | also be some shocking unexpected messages. But, if |
| The Sun will come up quickly behind Jupiter and | | | | you have any planets between 20 and 24 degrees in |
| conjunct Mercury at the karmic 0 degree point in | | | | Capricorn, Taurus, or Virgo (earth signs), you may |
| Aquarius on January 20th, Inauguration Day. The Sun | | | | find that on February 1st parts of your life that have |
| represents our characters and Mercury, expression. | | | | been a little stuck will start to move forward again. |