Mercury Retrograde - February-March 2020 - Stern Opportunities
As if 2020 hasn't thrown us enough curveballs already, we now have Mercury Retrograde breaking the all-planets-direct vibe.
Something I need to get off of my chest...
Not much of an opening, I know. I'm not feeling 100% right now. Not even 50%. Like I was researching doing something drastic kind of not even 50%. I'm resisting it. Long story short, many personal resource problems, as well as the recent passing of my father, and the possibility I'm about to lose all of my family history in the process of the resource problems. Almost every resource or restrictive aspect I can have is being hit right now (especially those involving Saturn), and there is the distinct possibility I could lose everything. Considering I have the same birthday as Kobe Bryant, however, I suppose I'm doing ok by comparison. Perhaps I'll write about the similarities later, if this site is still up. (That is a large part of the personal resource anxieties on my end. I decided to be real and type this, in case something happens, if this site goes down, or if I stop posting, at least you have an idea what's going on. Yet I say to you all to keep hope alive. I will do what I can to take my own advice.) I may write up an article soon too about what exactly has been going on with me.
Mercury Retrograde Period
Let's start with the basics. Mercury Retrograde begins February 16th, 2020 at 16:54:00 PDT (00:54:00 UTC), and starts at 12 Pis 53'23" RX, and will last until March 9th, 2020 at 20:48:34 PDT (03:48:34 UTC) when it hits 28 Aqu 12'42". This one is largely a Piscean Mercury Retrograde with a splash of Aquarius in the end, and emotional impacts of this retrograde are going to be quite prevalent, especially with the tighter aspect that is made at its retrograde station. Mercury is also in detriment in Pisces, so messages, technology, communications, things are going to be a bit... forgive the word... mercurial here. Of course, Mercury doesn't actually go backwards. It appears to do so from our vantage point here on Earth. Yet, it seems to exhibit some interesting effects. Agreements and contracts signed now do not typically go to plan, yet repairs and revisions can bear some fruit.
Aspects to Mercury Station Retrograde
There aren't too many planets impacting Mercury directly when it appears to change direction in the sky. There are three, and two of them are at pretty wide orbs for their aspects.
Moon in Sagittarius square Mercury in Pisces
This aspect at the onset of the retrograde period adds some emotional discomfort and uncertainty to this cycle. Sagittarius Moon would normally feel more upbeat, more optimistic, yet this square to Mercury here, that same joviality just isn't coming through as well. There is a sense that the "other shoe is about to drop" and this impacts our ability to relax. This can be a pretty rough one.
Jupiter in Capricorn sextile Mercury (wide orb)
Jupiter is basically at the outer edge of being sextile to Mercury right now, and some astrologers might not even consider an ~4 degree orb to be valid. I'm including this as a marginal influence, but one I think is still there. This is an easier aspect that can add a little bit of hope, and with Mercury turning right now, this ray of hope is going to have to come from within. Think of it as like cracking the door to an internal connection with the divine, so to speak. Some meditative and institutional work that needs reviewed may also be of benefit during this period.
Mercury conjunct Neptune (wide orb)
Mercury may be in detriment, but Neptune is in its home sign and in domicile right now, so Neptune's more potent these days. Inspiration from within is going to be a matter of course, and with Jupiter sextiling Neptune right now pretty tightly, this would be a good time to dust off and review some older manuscripts that you may have back-burnered right now. Touch-ups and tidying up creative works, or even going back and trying a drum riff again that was forgotten about before, this could bear some fruit as well. On the other hand, again, new agreements and contracts are going to be a bit nebulous right now. Older agreements may even be subject to revision now. Be aware that those revisions could again be brought up for further review once the retrograde period is over.
Other Active Aspects During the Retrograde Station
There's plenty going on with the other bodies right now that bears mentioning.
Uranus in Taurus semisextile Chiron and Black Moon Lilith in Aries
This is going to be a period where the backtracking leads to some uncomfortable and sudden developments. It may be you suddenly having to cut loose something tangible or some sort of recovery plan due to unforeseen events. Or, perhaps some uncomfortable (or if fortunate, restorative) changes will be affecting your outlook on how resource issues affect your core being and state of mind.
Uranus in Taurus trine Mars in Capricorn
Mars has just entered Capricorn, in Saturn's domain, and Uranus does seem to like working with Mars a bit. The unpredictability may lead to some sudden flashes in insight and an energy boost to make some rapid progress where it comes to career, reputation, and money matters. Perhaps a job offer comes out of the blue, or you apply to that position you've been dreaming about on a whim. With the retrograde motion of Mercury starting, it could be some opportunity from the past that comes up.
Asteroids to the Retrograde Station (Incomplete)
Frankly, I'm about to pass out as I'm up way too late. I'll revise this as soon as I can with the pertinent asteroid astrology information.
In Closing...
Just from what I was able to come up with in this brief (so far) post, we've got some uncomfortable and confusing times ahead. We may not know which way is up, and some of us (like myself) may already be at rock bottom, but there's plenty of opportunity. As I say and am trying to remind myself right now: "At the center of the Earth, all directions point up." Some surprises are certainly in store during the retrograde period, and there might be some good news coming our way if we can avoid tripping over our own feet. Revisions and repairs are going to be the rule of the day, and there is an essence of fate or providence in this. Try to trust that things will get better, and if they're already going well, then perhaps they will improve even further. It's all how you use this energy. Again, I will attempt to flesh this out soon within the next day or two. Many matters to attend to.
