I’m writing this blog on Sunday evening, within a couple of hours of the Sun – Neptune conjunction in Pisces becoming exact. It’s the first piece to be written at my desk in the new house. To the right I have a window overlooking the olive trees, to the left a view of the sea, the mountains of the mainland in the distance swathed in mist and low cloud as the evening light fades. The exhaustion of moving has been so worth it.
The fun and games with retrograde Mercury have of course kept us busy. Never in my life have I tried to troubleshoot in advance as much as I have on this occasion. Mercury retrograde in Aquarius, sign of technology, sounded all my alarm bells about potential internet problems so I spent a lot of time asking questions and pestering poor Sue and Mike – who moved in two weeks ahead of me – about the engineer’s visits etc. I was assured all was well. Of course it wasn’t. I had no internet at all for the first two days, that was then sorted (although the phone upstairs still doesn’t work) but within a couple of hours of the engineer leaving we discovered that our three computers were in conflict and we couldn’t all be on line at the same time.
Then followed the perfect showing of Mercury retrograde in Aquarius – sign of the collective – as we carefully negotiated with each other about who needed to be on line most and at what time! For me this was the first lesson in communal life and happily we all managed it without stress. This is good news as it was the “initial transaction” – the first test being the cameo of what is to come. We’ve also had the challenge of bringing together two families of animals – now 8 cats and 2 dogs in total – and working out feeding routines and who sleeps where. So far, so good…
Mercury will turn direct on Friday (at 14.01 GMT), just part of the picture of a week that is packed with major astrological events. Firstly we have the third and final sextile (harmonious) between Venus and Saturn, exact Tuesday morning at 04.51 GMT. The first was 23 November and the second was 11 January. As Venus is in Capricorn (and on the last leg of her long journey through this sign) this final aspect to Saturn, ruler of Capricorn, feels portentous. In essence Venus is love, money and pleasure – Saturn is organization, work structure and limitations. However and wherever you see these two issues working together, especially in a way that has been unfolding since the end of last year, such scenarios will now be reaching their finale.
For me it is finally being able to relax and enjoy the new home, everything now unpacked and in its place after all the upheaval and massive de-junking. For another it has been debt consolidation, a good outcome but not without conflict, and for another it has been the end of a romantic hope. Saturn is not easy at the best of times but he urges us to stay real, practical and effortful. He is the original “chin up”. I love these old sayings – they don’t come from nowhere. Note the next time you feel defeated and watch your body language. Your whole body slumps and your chin dips down to the floor, pulling all your energy down with it. When you consciously lift your chin up you pull your energy up.
The second big event is the Jupiter – Uranus square, exact at 07.34 GMT on Wednesday morning. This major aspect first formed on 21 August last year and will repeat for the third and final time on 20 April. (Jupiter in Cancer, Uranus in Aries) As this middle contact forms as Mercury is poised to turn direct – in Aquarius which is Uranus’ own sign – the usual theme of the unexpected or dramatic may well be more obvious. Look out for “breaking news” that sets everyone talking. If you have planets or angles at or close to 10 degrees of the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) then the drama may be yours! Also remember that Jupiter is the Greater Benefic – he is good for us – so the bigger picture message is to dare to be different, to embrace change or to look at where you may need to take more risk in your life.
This is underlined on Saturday which brings the New Moon in Pisces (08.01 GMT), just four hours after the Sun trines (harmonious aspect) Jupiter. Again there’s a kind of double whammy theme going on here as Pisces is ruled by Jupiter. Whatever has been on hold now gets a real shot in the arm. Plans and decisions related to travel, education, legal concerns, creating more space or liberating yourself from anything that is no longer working for you all get a huge tick. As part of the breaking news theme listen out for big celebrations.
The rest of the weekend is not without its hiccups as both Mars and Saturn switch to retrograde motion – Mars will be backtracking through Libra until mid May and Saturn will be backtracking through Scorpio until mid July. If you’ve got a long running battle on your hands then prepare for the next round. If you have business or relationship problems then start to think about different tactics, including going back to the things that worked in the past or how you will handle things differently with the benefit of hindsight and experience.
The final event of the week is Venus square Mars on Sunday (exact at 20.05 GMT) – made all the more significant by the fact that Mars is “stationary” (stuck at 27 degrees of Libra for the next two weeks as he turns around) and that this is Venus’ last aspect before she finally changes sign. Venus has been meandering through Capricorn since early November but is now picking up speed and will enter Aquarius in the middle of next week. Venus and Mars are the love planets so again relationship issues take centre stage, especially in terms of ending old cycles and embarking upon the new. Be honest with yourself as well as with your significant other.
In essence this is a hugely transitional week and many will be facing crossroads, making decisions and establishing new arrangements that will take a couple of weeks to settle. I’ll leave you with the checklist for Mercury turning direct:
· Important information comes to light
· Rumours are squashed when the truth outs
· You find the right person to deal with the problem
· People get back to you or make decisions
· Computer glitches are solved/disputes are settled
· Lost objects are found
… which hopefully will include the power cable for my printer which mysteriously disappeared in the hour that it took to move my computer/printer from the old apartment. These were the last things to be moved, I deliberately left them to the very last minute so that nothing could go missing … thank you Mercury, very funny!