“Lover Come Back to Me Sings Mercury Retrograde on Nov 6th 2012”

It seems to me that there is always something or someone, which one can not be without and at the same time, to be with.  This is the type of association I always seem to have with Mercury Retrograde.  The planet in retrograde comes around in such a cyclic manner, that it is and here today and gone tomorrow, just as quickly as my love and hate relationship with the planet, does.  When retrograde comes back to me, my love for the time we spend remembering and meditating on what has passed and seeing what clutter needs to be thrown out with those bits and pieces we are keeping to be organized to be use in the future, are the times I cherished and have planned for.  What I hate about retrograde is the need to handle this period of time with caution, with carefulness, with retrospection in order to avoid glitches, with possible personal misunderstandings, with delays, with flawed and disrupted communications.  Mercury Retrograde will be singing “lover, come back to me” as it makes its appearance on November 6^th 2012 at 4 Sagittarius 16 R until it turns direct on November 26^th 2012 at 18 Scorpio 11.  His stay this time will be highlighted with a Solar Eclipse joining the reunion bringing excitement, tension and unexpected escapades.

“The Sabian symbol for the Mercury Retrograde in 5^h degrees of Sagittarius and for the Mercury Direct in 19^th degrees of Scorpio is taken from “The Sabian Symbols in Astrology by Marc Edmund Jones”, and what follows are my comments.

Sagittarius 5  An old owl up in a tree  This is a symbol of the necessary element of steadiness in human affairs, and of the extent to which the demonstrated and widely accepted values of life must have their full and functioning part in the immediate reality with which an individual may be seeking to come to terms.  Here is the power of man to give an eternal stability or a universal compulsion to whatever seems to call to his own deeper and private potentialities.  Emphasized especially is the real dignity of self-respect.  The keyword is normality.  When positive, the degree is exceptional wisdom or effective self-restraint in each detail of personal accomplishment, and when negative, self-betraying intellectual and emotional smugness.

Scorpio 19  A parrot listening and then talking  This is a symbol of the raw substance of intelligence, and it suggests that conscious existence can be shaped according to any desired lineaments.  Inherent in the symbolism is a sensitiveness to the continual reworking of reality on the ideal or imaginative side, and to the opportunity the individual may have for selecting or rejecting every essential element of his make-up.  Man continually projects the image in which he creates him self.  The keyword is conventionality.  When positive, the degree is exceptional skill in bringing the whole tenor of transient circumstances to the service of a personal aspiration, and when negative, the idle mimicry and self-gratifying pretense.

These symbols speaks to the need to go within our higher self during this period of time to seek the wisdom of restraint and stability with the importance of staying centered and aware of the world around us.  The image represents astuteness, emotional detachment and extreme self control.  The emphasis and the need at this time is to demonstrate dignity, self respect and the knowledge of when to keep silent in any situation that present itself, knowing that our actions may have ramifications we may regret.  To avoid stress and frustrations that can be magnified out of proportion to the reality and actuality of the situation.  With the Solar Eclipse joining the party, it is emphasizing the importance of paying attention and living the moment, as it is vital and essential during this interlude in time.  The significance in allowing our sensitivity and awareness to be grounded is critical to any success.  With the aspects in the night sky, it is telling us that we need to pay attention to our actions, realizing and understanding that our actions and the consequences will reverberate into the future.  Mercury Retrograde is reminding each of us as he sings “Lover come back to me” that the consequences of our actions have a habit of returning and haunting us.  Make sure our thoughts and actions are thoughtfully and carefully worked out during this point in time, is the message he is singing to us.

“The 21 Scorpio 56 Solar Eclipse on Nov 13th is Stressing the Passion for Candidness”

 

Drama and intrigue is in the air as the cold winter winds blow with Chiron and Neptune in Pisces as they are exchanging glances with Ceres in Cancer, while Mercury Retrograde is in Sagittarius.  The tragedies and the schemes being played out by the aspects in the night sky is being reflected and mirrored within our own conscience.  Solar eclipses are extra powerful New Moons, signaling a time of major endings and the first stages of major beginnings.  On November 13^th 2012 is not only a super moon, indicating its closeness to the earth and at the same time, a partial solar eclipse at 21 Scorpio 56 at 3:09 pm PST is stressing the passion for candidness.  Our own sense of right and wrong is demanding us to be honest with ourselves and to have the integrity to step up to the plate when called on.  During this period of time the energies of the moon exposes what we think is our dark side, our secret passions, our fears, our inabilities to cope and the trepidation of not accomplishing and completing one’s destiny.  Our higher inner voices with the push from the influences of the planets are telling us, to shut up or put up. 

 

“The Sabian symbol for the 22^nd degree of Scorpio is taken from “The Sabian Symbols in Astrology by Marc Edmund Jones”, and what follows are my comments.

 

 Scorpio 22  Hunters starting out for ducks  This is a symbol of the sim0licity of self-expression and the straightforward honesty of desire which men tend to exhibit from birth in nearly every realm of normal or everyday activity, and of the average individual’s need for genuine psychological elbow-room in his dealing with world about him.  Here is freedom of action willy-nilly, as marked in the frequent determination of the human spirit to have this by one means if not by another.  The keyword is enterprise.  When positive, the degree is a complete lack of personal frustration and a constant refinement of special and practical skills in the approach to daily problems, and when negative, a callous exploitation of all life.

 

This symbol speaks to us of our agenda, our directness and our ability to get to the point whether it is politically correct or not.  It confirms our mission and our strong sense of purpose.  At the same time it subtly implies a lack of restriction, a lack of freedom and a lack of compassion.  This symbol connects well with the aspects in the night sky as it suggests a need to get to the root of the matter, if we are to have a solution to any problem.  It is asking us to go within and candidly review who we are and where we are going.  This is the time to clean our minds of clutter, get rid of old hurts and throw out the dark secrets.  We need to have more transparency, so we can begin to comprehend where we are really coming from and to where we really are going.  With Mercury in retrograde our meditations during this period will surprise us with insights that will amaze us.  As the energies of an eclipse is powerful, may we become more aware and more appreciative of it, and may we heed the message it is sending to us with the passion we have within us.

 

“Mars a Malefic in Pisces In the Sixth House Maybe just a Court Jester in Disguise”

It is always interesting and amazing to me how one learns more from the study of astrology from studying and researching one’s own natal chart.  Trying to memorize the rules and the definitions of the signs with the planet has always been very difficult for me.  After many tries with cue cards and every trick in the trade I have given up trying to rattle off a definition off the top of my head.  Letting the meaning of the sign and the planet digest in my conscious and subconscious mind for a length of time, my consciousness comes up with a delineation that even surprises me at times.  From the very beginning of my studies I have been taught that the sixth house and Mars were considered malefic, and to have the house empty and Mars in some other house could be a blessing in disguise.  Whether it is fortunate or unfortunate I came into this world with Mars in a sign that it is not the happiest in, and in the sixth house.  Mars in Pisces is sensitive and strongly influenced by a passive nature not prone to aggression unless angered.  My early childhood taught me that life needed to be worked at, if one was to accomplish what one hoped for in life, so having a difficult sixth house was not necessarily alarming to me.

The sixth is the house of service, by serving, working for, waiting on, attending to, in other words indicating working under someone.  It also indicates how and how well we carry out our duties and the state of our health.   Mars symbolizes activity, and is the archetype for action, for work, for fighting, for anger and for aggression, but is weak and more submissive in Pisces. It may appear or show its characteristics very subtly, but there is a breaking point when the full force of its energies will be released.  Mars in Pisces is sympathetic, sensitive, receptive, and at the same time dislikes conflict and discord of any kind by compromising to maintain peace.  This attribute is emotional, adaptable, sacrificing with a tendency for the artistic and dramatic displays and action.  Mars in the sixth house directs action towards work, the type of employment and service.  At the same time the state of affairs of the health of the individual is indicated.  One is usually an energetic worker, industrious and unless otherwise indicated by aspects, works extremely well as a team worker under good leadership.

I find the above description quite accurate, but I feel the actions and energy of Mars in my chart is like a court jester full of little surprises.  I have always wondered about the role the jester plays at court.  He has many faces and one is a fool, one an entertainer, one a comedian and one a clown that keeps the royals laughing and happy.  Another, less conspicuous is the observer and confidant of the King, being aware of the intrigues and the mechanism of court life and has learn to survive through it all.  The passiveness that Mars gives to me is not being subordinate to another, but a need to keep an even keel in all relationships and situations with a happy disposition.  This makes me observant of the nature of others and the ability to work around and with them, and gives me a key to work in close cooperation, even with all the maneuverings in the work place.  Mars being in Pisces is a malefic and is in a malefic house, does not frighten me because the planet like the court jester entertains me and keeps me amuse, and there is never a dull moment with all the surprises up its sleeve..

“A Time of Reckoning is at Hand Depicts the 6 Taurus 48 full Moon on Oct 29th 2012”

The darkness and coldness of the approaching winter seems to be only a few days away as the visions and memories of the last harvest are almost completely gone.  During this period the early settlers with the limitation the weather had on their ability to keep enough provision to last through the wintry weather needed to hunt and to process their food to last them until the spring begins to unfold.  As serious preparation to provide for the coming months was by hunting game, the 6 Taurus 48 Hunter’s Full Moon makes its appearance at 12:50 pm PDT on October 29^th 2012 in opposition to the Sun conjunct Saturn in Scorpio.  Emphasizing and depicting a reckoning of some sort is at hand.  Reckoning as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as follow “A settlement of accounts: a day of reckoning”.  Saturn in Scorpio is associated with responsibility, restitution, reconciliation and to take an assessment of any situation.  This moon phase is spotlighting and forcing us to confront and to account for our fears, to account for our habits, to account for our limitations and is asking us to address it or let it go.

“The Sabian symbol for the Moon in 7^th degrees of Taurus and for the Sun in 7^th degrees of Scorpio is taken from “The Sabian Symbols in Astrology by Marc Edmund Jones”, and what follows are my comments.

Taurus 7  A woman of Samaria  This is a symbol of the unimpeachable divinity which characterizes man’s nature at root, represented here by his instinct for higher things as he yet plumbs all experience to the depths and welcomes life almost indiscriminately into the uttermost inner reaches of his being.  Implicit in the reversed symbolism of this famous amoral figure of Biblical times is an indomitability of striving for real and gratifying self-fulfillments.  The keyword is awakening.  When positive, the degree is absolute and wholly impersonal self-giving in the hope of an honest self-realization, and when negative, a debasing and carefree dissoluteness accepted in compensation for the unattained and more enduring satisfactions.

Scorpio 7  Deep-sea divers  this is a symbol of the absolute integrity of man’s nature at root, dramatized here by his insatiable determination to plumb all experience to the depths and to uncover the illimitable reaches of potentiality in his world of everyday relationships.  Implicit in the symbolism is a challenge to self-refinement through a subjection of the skills of self to every possible test or opportunity for a further perfection.  Self-fulfillment is through an ever-increasing interest in day-by-day problems.  The keyword is involvement.  When positive, the degree is a persistent penetration to the very vital core of human motive and make-up, and when negative, fundamentally unsocial instincts and a resort to wholly absurd escapism.

This symbol speaks to us of the sacredness of man ever thirsting for spiritual nourishment and the enlightenment of seeking fellowship with kindred spirits.  It speaks to us of reaching out and demonstrating and living our beliefs and being an example to others in what we stand for.  The accent is on being of service and putting aside our fears, our limitations, and our prejudices and in giving our assistance and support to others in need, whether they share the same convictions or not.  It is also asking us to take an account of our spiritual beliefs and our concepts of what is truth, and if it is hindering us from addresing our values?  Is our ability to assist and to listen to others dependent on whether they share the same views as us?  At the same time the symbol speaks to us of the need to investigate, to explore and to unravel any mystery to its core value for our self improvement and growth.  Curiosity and persistence gives the momentum to scrutinize things out before acting upon it.  As the Taurus Full Moon makes its presence felt, let us remind ourselves that the time of reckoning is coming from within.  That we are our own judge and jury, and the outcome is in our hands.

“Saturn in the Ninth House is a Teacher or a Preacher”

 

I find studying astrology very exciting, especially when one discovers something about oneself, which is hidden somewhere deep inside.  When it is discovered it is like a treasure found.  The other exhilarating thing is when you realize why you do what you do, and then you discover that wasn’t the reason after all.  At my first astrological consultation, I was told I would be a teacher, teaching astrology.  I never gave it much thought as I was pursuing a career totally different and I was not interested in teaching any subject at the time.  Certainly not something that I thought would ever become my strong interest and hobby.   The strange and funny coincidence was, when I was attending middle school, the teacher enrolled me in a teaching program to see if that would become a direction I would take when I would begin my college education.  I realized early in the program that I enjoy working with people, but teaching was not my forte.  Beside that, I did not enjoy or feel comfortable standing in front of a group and lecturing to them.  To this day I feel uncomfortable and tend to fall apart even among friends even if all I had to do was to stand up, without saying a word.

 

Everyone who has ever looked at my chart has told me the same thing that I would be a good teacher of astrology, and I have never felt comfortable with the idea.  It has always been a sore spot in my conversations with my peers, as I was always being enlisted in helping them in this area, in which I have always declined.  I always wonder if they missed something, or was I deceiving and deluding myself, and that teaching was my true calling.  Fortunately or unfortunately, no matter how I thought about it, I could not see myself as a teacher.  In fact I was being interviewed on a radio show, explaining the methods I used.  After hearing the recorded tape, I couldn’t wait to destroy it.  I have realized a long time ago that I do have the patience of a teacher and am very good at laying out a plan to teach certain fundamentals of a subject matter, but teaching full time is a different story.  Like a teacher I enjoy the discipline one needs in organizing one’s thoughts in a game plan, it is another matter to express it to others.  It seems to me that teachers need to have many qualities to be good and the one requirement they need, I don’t have is the ability to speak well in front of others.

 

In trying to understand why I prefer not to be a teacher, I began to wonder if there was something wrong with the delineation of my chart, or was there a subtle influence that was missed or overlooked.  My Saturn is in Gemini in the ninth house which I hope might give me a clue, in that it was a mutable sign.  Was that the problem or the cause of the misunderstanding?  I decided to check all my books and the internet to see if I could discover any light on the matter.  Luckily I ran across the keyword associated with the planet in this particular position which fits me to perfection, and I suddenly felt I was no longer in need of seeking further.  The word was inadequacy.  I definitely have the feelings of being inadequate in performing the duties of the teacher.  It occurred to me that Saturn did represent me in a way I never thought about, since this position could represent someone seeking or teaching the spiritual or philosophical ideas.  That really wasn’t me either, so I decided to play around with the word preacher, one who teaches or proselytizes spiritual ideas.  Suddenly the light turned on, and I realized that I was a proselytizer of any ideas that worked for me.  If I found something worthwhile, I wanted to share it with everyone in hearing distance.  I wasn’t teaching others, but I was sharing the good news which where the concepts and the ideas I found meaningful and helpful in my life.