As the dark winter days continue to dim, making way for the first signs that spring is in the air, about a week before the vernal equinox the first Mercury Retrograde of 2012 begins on March 12th at 6 Aries 48, which appears on the horizon until April 4th at 23 Pisces 52. This retrograde is telling us to take action in place of reacting to any situation for our advantage, if we are to get through this period of time with flying colors. A Retrograde period is when caution, carefulness and retrospection is a necessity to avoid glitches, personal misunderstanding, flawed, disrupted, and delayed communications with ourselves and others. Although I know there will always be delays and disruptions that we can not avoid during this period, I do believe much of the frustrations and stresses we will experience is caused by our own carelessness because we are reacting to the circumstances, instead of taking a proactive approach to the situations and decisions we encounter. For some of us, if we begin to develop our foresight and to anticipate the possibilities, we may begin to see this period as a time to appreciate with gratitude the gifts Mercury gives and blesses us with. As the aphorism “absence makes the heart grow fonder”, the Universe exemplifies this by giving us this period of time to appreciate and to meditate on how Mercury works in our lives by either creating or destroying our desires, which depends on whether we pay attention to how we work with its energy .
“The Sabian symbol for Mercury in 7 degrees of Aries and for Mercury in 24 degrees of Pisces is taken from “The Sabian Symbols in Astrology by Marc Edmund Jones”, and what follows are my comments.
Aries 7 A man successfully expressing himself in two realms at once This is a symbol of a creative division of labor within the self, such as distinguishes human kind from the lower orders of life and enables any individual to participate in the experience of many interpenetrating realms of reality. There is capacity here for a complete control of events by shifting from one to another focus of emphasis whenever it proves convenient or expedient. The keyword is proficiency. When positive, the degree is unlimited versatility and a special gift for divorcing the things of issue from whatever lacks immediate pertinence, and when negative, a tendency to defeat all self-competence in an unintelligent scattering of interest.
Pisces 24 An inhabited island this is a symbol of the self-adequacy of experience on the objective side of everyday reality, and of man’s gift for the organization of his own private world in any area of his special interest. He is always able to function in a complete independence of the alien or the unfriendly, and to develop adequate resources for his need in what at the beginning might seem to be the most barren of situations. He capitalizes on the potentials among which he finds himself, and nurses the least of promise to its fruits. The keyword is cultivation. When positive, the degree is achievement through a creative opportunism or inventiveness of exceptional order, and when negative, snobbish complacency and self-indulgence.
This symbol is so appropriate to the message of the retrograde, in that it is speaking to us to develop and to open up to our inherent ability of versatility, adaptability, and our capacity to function in more than one area of concentration and our aptitude to make decisions independently of any circumstances that present itself. Our skill to multitask gives us a sense of confidence and freedom to make proactive choices, instead of going with the flow that passes around us. It also speaks to us about our self confidence in our self-reliance to function independently at will at any moment and in any incident to solve or resolve any problem or condition that presents itself. The image stresses the necessity and the importance to thoroughly being able to and willing to pay attention and to analyze the potential or the problem of our decisions and actions. By developing this practice, it will become apart of us in time, and in time it will operate without us realizing it. This asset, which is a gift of the Universe will come in quite handy with whatever we experience through the coming year, and will be the key to the successful completion of our hopes and wishes at this time. During this Mercury Retrograde we have to take action in place of reaction in which it is to our advantage, in accomplishing that which we wish to accomplish.
| Mercury Retrograde Begins | March 12, 2012 | 06 Aries 48 R |
| Mercury Goes Direct | April 4, 2012 | 23 Pisces 52 D |
| Mercury Retrograde Begins | July 14 2012 | 12 Leo 32 R |
| Mercury Goes Direct | August 7, 2012 | 01 Leo 26 D |
| Mercury Retrograde Begins | November 6, 2012 | 04 Sagittarius 18 R |
| Mercury Goes Direct | November 26 2012 | 18 Sagittarius 11 D |
