Mercury Retrogrades’ free cosmic therapy can be an opportunity for minds to expand, pop and change. It doesn’t have to be the end of the world. Apple carts need an upset, like ecosystems need survival pulsing to stimulate growth. These can be intellectual shakeups or ‘threads of unity’ from the ‘other world of beauty and myth and mystery’, according James Hillman. Each of us has a divine twin daimon that can be a singularity like a totem animal or a multiplicity/biodiversity of angels, archetypes, cosmic forces and nature spirits.
Mercury is now shining golden in the western sky after sunset, coming to his maximum elongation / distance from the Sun on 4DEC23. This marks the beginning of the Magician’s last-of-4 Earth alchemies since December 2022. Elementally, Earth via Capricorn, Taurus and Virgo, is about boundaries, rules, structures, skills, tasks, tools, practices, practicalities, resources, accounting and accountability, responsibility and efficiency or not. Where these are not well in place, now is an opportunity for best medical and remedial action. Crisis in Chinese is both a danger and a turning point…
This retrograde through Earth’s Capricorn and Fire’s Sagittarius initiates Mercury’s next 5 retrogrades, that will take place in the fire signs beginning with Aries (and Chiron) in March24. Fire purges all lies and deceit for new creative fuel and inspiration.
Mercury is our closest-to-the-SOURCE, Elemental Guru Planet and seeks over 79 years and 12 elemental returns, to integrate with its opposing element, so air seeks integration with earth or fire and water seek integration. Mercury’s Mission is to bridge body and mind and soul by purifying you down to your essential bits and pieces 3 times a year for some true-nature Holy Trinitrees!
Since reading Gary Caton’s Hermetica Triptycha in 2017, I have been making use of this free therapy tool known by the ancients and remembered by Caton when he realised that Mercury’s retrograde conjunction with the Sun always occurs at/very close to a degree that repeats prior when Mercury is maximum distance from the Sun as evening star and then post-retrograde at max elongation again but this time as morning star. These 3 ‘ringtones’ corelate with Mercury beginning his descent in the evening sky perhaps with a crisis, as things fall apart and separate (nigredo), then meeting Sun for an infusion of both light and dark as the alchemical wedding (albedo) and then rising reawakened in a changing world (rubedo).
Mercury will go where needed to retrieve what he needs to know; he will do what it takes. Mercury, known as the lower mind, is able to go dark and invisible into the underworld and return with life-changing insight from the creative unconscious or literally, the previously unknown. Allowing Mercury’s magic into your voice and feathered cloak is always unique and sacred; a wing and a prayer or a caduceus wand made from 2 winged serpents.
This journey we are about to embark upon with Mercury, the Translator, begins with the drawing attached at the end. (I am only allowed 2 images which is really hard for me so if you would like a proper version of this drawing please make contact).
1: 4DEC23: Mercury max evening star @4CAP
2: 13DEC23: Mercury stations retrograde @8CAP28’
3: 22DEC23: Mercury retrograde conjunct Sun @0CAP39’
4: 1JAN24: Mercury stations direct @22SAG12’
5: 12JAN24: Mercury max morning star @29SAG, as Mars makes first Emergence in the morning sky
Take note of Kaus Borealis @6CAP19’ at the top of the Archer’s bow, Facies @7CAP36’ IN FRONT of the Archer’s face and @9CAP behind His eyes, where Mercury stations retrograde for an INTENSE 6-18DEC23 that resolves 19JAN24.
Also note the 13th sign between Sagittarius and Scorpio now increasingly south of the ecliptic, called Ophiuchus or softer on the ear, Serpentarius, the Healer, Asclepius, son of Apollo; the Argo’s surgeon whose teacher, Chiron, taught him the healing arts. Jupiter’s thunderbolt struck Asclepius down when his skills raised humans from the dead, a sin according the gods. Serpentarius is a snake rider with Serpens caput/head and Serpens cauda/tail. His right knee has the star Sabik @18SAG, which is close to where Mercury will be stationing direct. This is where we find the antidote to the poison (astrologyking.com), where we find healing.
Facies, intimately involved in Mercury’s station retrograde, is a nebula that usually indicate eyesight problems, even blindness, and it is right in front of the face of Sagittarius, THE great archer and military man. He is aiming to hit his mark and yet he has to look through this blind spot ‘star’.
According to Bernadette Brady, “the eyesight of the ancient archer was an expression of the quality of the weapon. One could never have near-sighted archers. Facies represents the penetrating stare of a lethal weapon. It is one of the most difficult, and possibly the most violent, objects in the heavens. It gives a penetration of action that has no regard for others, and can therefore make a great leader or a dictator. The other side of Facies is the individual who may be the victim of the archer’s stare.” (Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars 1998).
Mercury-Facies:
1: 10DEC23
2: 16DEC23
3: 20JAN24 when Sun conjuncts Pluto at the last degree of Capricorn trine Moon in Taurus
It seems all quite military-medical in a clearly unstable global context; SA, GAZA, UKRAINE, Dublin, Du-bloody-bai, Somalia, Yemen and more. (Dubai Carbon Trader Buys Up African Forests – saving the planet or environmental colonialism? by Phillip van Niekerk, 28NOV23, Daily Maverick). Even the ancient Egyptians saw Sagittarius as a sign of war, as its full moon in June always marked a time when battles were fought and personally, I’ve been at the mercy of more than one mercenary, merciless Sagittarian aspecting my software. They don’t mean to be, they’re just really good at denying problems.
Dark end-of-year days when we look at it like this and in the context of current world news craziness. Mercury is working with Mars behind the scenes to know how to think about it and what to do during this time. Mercury and Mars make 3 key conjunctions to be mindful of:
1: 29OCT23 @11SCO53’
2: 27DEC23 @24SAG22’
3: 27JAN24 @17CAP16’, where Mars exalts, so really knowing how to stand up for yourself and excel.
There is another way of thinking about things, if we see Sag as centaur-hybrid, half human-half horse, where horse’s movement and freedom is guided by Vesta, keeper of your sacred flame, your passion and devotion, your divine fire and inner radiance that inspires during difficult times. And the hunter/ress human half guided by Diana/Artemis, twin sister of Apollo, Lady of the Wilds and Goddess of the Hunt, who protects children, wild things and humans in need/trouble; a protectress.
We know that Sag is about universality as he points to the Galactic Centre @27SAG and the Galactic Equator @29SAG. Sag can be blind to the darkness or true, open-minded faith. Sag seeks truth and meaning by directing their arrow and flying free. During this retrograde Mercury will square Neptune blurring reality from Sag to Pisces, both Jupiter-ruled when Jupiter is stuck stationing @6TAU for one whole month – that ‘cantilever bridge crossing the abyss’ that Dane Rudhyar speaks of. Getting to the other side needs both the collective and metaphysical for belief patterns to redeem themselves. Calling for a miracle, Mercury squares Neptune:
1: 27NOV23 @25mutable
2: 27 DEC23 @26mutable
3: 9JAN24 @26mutable
Mercury emerging into the pre-dawn morning sky from 30DEC23, shows Sag rising with arrow pointing straight upwards, rising up as a perfectly reflected inversion to his pre-retrograde southern setting into the unknown. Seeing a planet’s first morning star rays with your own eyes is direct, eye-to-Eye magic. Even thinking about planets and listening to their stories changes things eg discovering the Healers right knee, Sabik with an association to poisoning and mortality and a body is found in our town’s drinking water before it contaminated communities. Like praying to Mary who tells her son who can’t refuse Her, speaking with the ‘stars’ becomes a living story where you are heard and known like with Mercury, who knows you better than you know yourself. And for someone/thing to truly know me when I lose track and bring me back, well that’s a belonging for which I am truly grateful.
Natasha Rightford
30 November 2023
