Your Mercury Turning Direct Reading
There are six slots available for this special offer during the week beginning 21 June, the day of the Summer Solstice followed by Mercury turning direct 22 June.
The purpose of this reading is to look at where Mercury is turning direct in your own horoscope, what or who Mercury specifically signifies for you, how this reflects your natal themes and how the turning point links up with any other key activity in your current transits and progressions. What are you supposed to be learning right now and how might this impact on the second half of your year?
These readings are also for research purposes, hence the reduced price, but obviously nothing will be quoted from your reading without your written permission.
joannaw@otenet.gr or Whatsapp me 00306976296085 for an appointment.
Length of Reading – 45 minutes
Price – £55.00
The Astrology Blog 7 June 2021
All times in BST
“When sorrows come, they come not single spies/But in battalions.”
Claudius (Hamlet) Act IV, Scene V
“Happiness is not the absence of problems, it’s the ability to deal with them. My mistakes have been my greatest mentors.”
Steve Maraboli (18 April 1975) – American Writer
If I had to sum up the essence of how this week is shaping up it would go something like – oh good, a New Moon in Gemini! Oh, it’s a Solar Eclipse. And it’s square Neptune …. ah, and Neptune is hardly moving, which means he’s stationary retrograde. Oh well, Sun conjunct a dignified Mercury … oh, he’s retrograde …. and conjunct the Eclipse. Oh well, at least we’ve got Venus aspects … ah, she’s playing into the second big Saturn – Uranus square that’s nearly exact again. Great.
In other words, this is arguably one of the most important weeks of the whole year and absolutely nothing is set in stone. With a Solar Eclipse slap bang in the middle of this latest retrograde Mercury period, and the midpoint of the Saturn – Uranus square, It’s OUT with assumptions of any kind. All bets are off. Many of us will look back on this week and see it as the tipping point in any kind of situation that amounts to struggle or the need for total change. Remember that this astrology would be unfolding anyway even if we didn’t have Covid.
SOLAR ECLIPSE IN GEMINI
So nobody panic! In times of stress my dear sister used to say to me, one thing at a time Jo, and you could never rush her. So, going through these events one by one we start with the Eclipse, conjunct the retrograde Mercury, which are only half a day apart, and the Sun’s square to Neptune being exact just as we tip into next week –
Thursday 10 June
- New Moon/Solar Eclipse at 19.47 Gemini 11.54
Friday 11 June
- Sun conjunct Mercury 20.21 Gemini 02.14
Monday 14 June
- Sun 23 Gemini square Neptune 23 Pisces 00.41
Going back to the astronomy for a moment, Eclipses occur when a New or Full Moon is also conjunct the Moon’s Nodes. The North and South Node are not heavenly bodies, they are the imaginary points at which the Moon cuts across the Ecliptic (from which we derive the word Eclipse) which is the apparent path of the Sun’s motion as seen from planet Earth.
In traditional astrology the line of the Nodes (always exactly opposite each other) symbolizes a dragon. The Sun and the Moon (the Lights) are the eyes of the dragon, and the dragon “eating” the Lights refers to the phenomenon of eclipses –
- The North Node Caput Draconis – the head of the dragon is regarded as fortunate, as this is where the dragon feeds and gains nourishment. Good karma.
- The South Node Cauda Draconis – the tail of the dragon is regarded as unfortunate, being where the dragon excretes, ie where shit happens. Bad karma.
Eclipses work in pairs, sometimes in threes, and therefore in opposite signs. A Lunar Eclipse (on a Full Moon) is therefore always followed two weeks later by a Solar Eclipse (on a New Moon), or vice versa. So we had the Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse at 5 Sagittarius (the sign opposite to Gemini) on 26 May –
- A Solar Eclipse – occurs when the Sun is obscured by the shadow of the Moon at the time of a New Moon
- A Lunar Eclipse – occurs when the Moon is obscured by the shadow of the earth at the time of a Full Moon
ECLIPSE SYMBOLISM
Eclipses get mixed press but basically they’re points of significant change that often involve power issues and/or the crux points of triangular situations, ie as symbolized by the intricate relationship between the three bodies of the Sun, Moon and Earth. Who is going to overshadow whom?
There is often a flavour of death/rebirth symbolism – changing colours, the light disappearing and coming back on again.
in a nutshell Eclipse essential symbolism includes –
- Being overshadowed, feeling in the dark
- Themes of empowerment – disempowerment
- Themes of loss/endings that change your life and set you on a different path
- Themes of symbolic death/rebirth – out with the old, in with the new, literally or psychologically
- Sorting winners from losers between twos or threes (Sun, Moon, Earth), eg affairs, job applications, house buying, any competitive situation. One person’s loss is another person’s gain
- Dealing with that which, until now, has been hidden from us in some way
- Revelations – sometimes on the run up to the Eclipse, sometimes even exactly on the day, or at a later date we learn what happened when we weren’t looking, when we were in the dark or “when the light went out”
- Tipping points of change – no going back to something belonging to your old life
If you have planets or Angles at or close to 20 Gemini/opposite sign of Sagittarius or 5 degrees of Sag/Gemini, the degree of the last eclipse, then be on the alert for key developments in any situation that is about change, and establishing a new order. It may not be easy but when the shadows lift a new landscape is revealed.
When I say “close to” I usually mean within 2 to 3 degrees but with Eclipses the orb tends to be bigger, so allow up to 5 degrees, but the tighter the aspect the more important the planet/Angle in terms of indicating life events.
With love stuff the issues of triangles and choices are likely to be sensitized even more than usual as Gemini is the sign of the Twins (ruling everything to do with twos, duality and multiplicity), especially as Mercury conjuncts the Eclipse and it falls just a few days before the potentially explosive Saturn – Uranus. If you know about very rocky situations then don’t be surprised to hear about bust ups or someone walking out of a relationship/job. If we’re spectators our job now is not to judge, only to support.
Mercury/Gemini combinations showing up in retrograde/inharmonious aspects nearly always come with communication issues too so again this rather backs up the point about retro Mercury being a dodgy time for technology. To be eclipsed is to be disconnected, disempowered or overpowered, either momentarily or in a “gone forever” way!
Losing an important document can be like blowing out a candle that can’t be relit, it can happen in a nano second. Hands up if this hasn’t happened to you at least once in your techno life! If I’m working on something important I have a memory stick but I now email the latest version to myself so that it’s at least in one other place as well.
And I already know where I’ll be at the time of this Eclipse – 13.54 local time in Greece. At 2pm a group of us will be gathered at a friend’s house for a private memorial service for her husband Brian who died unexpectedly two months ago. Now that Victoria’s friends and family have been able to arrange travel and join her we’ll be planting a tree and sharing our memories, and supporting Victoria at this poignant transitional moment. The death/rebirth symbolism in connection to the journey of bereavement is obvious.
THE HELPFUL BIT?
Whenever Mercury is in a retrograde period there’s always an exact conjunction with the Sun somewhere roughly in the middle (this time around turned retrograde at 24 Gemini on 29 May, will turn direct at 16 Gemini on 22 June). This is when Mercury is said to be “cazimi” – when he’s conjunct the Sun to within 17 minutes of arc (ie just over a quarter of a degree) and therefore in “the heart of the Sun”.
The symbolism of this is about Mercury drawing strength from that heat instead of being burned up by it. It’s a window of opportunity – it doesn’t last long! – but it’s the stuff of light bulb moments, vital information or having the chance to get your point across exactly in the right way and at the right time.
In that hot spot is a golden nugget of truth or a lifeline of help. Yes, this one is right in the heart of the Eclipse as well, and squaring up to sad/confusing/conman/water problems Neptune, so either that moment of clarity won’t be as sharp as usual, OR that moment of clarity will bring us up close and personal with something unfixable, or something we hadn’t wanted to face, but either way it’s still what we need to hear.
- The cazimi lasts approximately for 8 hours, four hours either side of the exact conjunction
- This cazimi will therefore be from 10pm on Thursday through to 6am on Friday morning in the UK. Adjust to your own time zone – eg Greece midnight to 8am on Friday
- Look out for that Mercury moment, especially things that shine a light into your understanding, help you to make a decision, negotiate a deal or find the right words to get an important conversation started. Write down your dreams and don’t ignore your instincts.
As mentioned earlier Neptune is “stationary retrograde”, appearing to be at a total standstill in the skies and “stuck” at 23 degrees Pisces. Will turn retrograde 25 June. Mercury squares it three times, the middle and second one being over this last weekend. So this picks out 20 to 23 degrees of all the Mutables – Gemini/Sag opposition as already noted, and the Virgo/Pisces polarity – as the most sensitive areas.
I have various friends and clients with placings on these degree areas. Permission to quote one of them, with Venus at 22 Gemini – so picking up the Eclipse, retrograde Mercury and the square to a stuck Neptune. Had to cancel a boat trip yesterday (Neptune god of sea) because of a back problem and booked instead to see a chiropractor. Guess where he lives, on a boat …. and both her washing machine and dishwasher broke down.
Gemini and multiples! Sorrows come in battalions …. all at once. She had more bad news about something else this morning and she’d actually been aware of leg/back pain for a long time, but as a stoic type she’d just soldiered on. So here’s an example of something going on “in the dark” that has now been forced into the light. The chiropractor immediately located three problem discs, sciatica and her neck out of line. She’s not astrology savvy but she’s heard enough from me over the years to know that it all “works”. I said, you’re the blog coming to life …. she said, anything to oblige. MRI scan next, to look deeper into what’s been going on in the dark.
My own story btw on that first Mercury – Neptune square two weeks ago was having the car die on me just as I’d turned onto a main road. I was narrowly missed by someone charging up behind me. I’d only done a short trip but the bonnet was red hot and the temperature gauge on max … a pipe into the water tank had come loose and the whole water tank had drained away. I felt lucky to be alive – again! How many lives have I got??
And as a general reminder Mercury is retrograde three times a year for three weeks at a time, his times for wearing his Mischief Maker hat. And as he rules everything to do with communication and is also connected to travel (the Winged Messenger) it’s hardly surprising that all the “rules” around UK tourism to Greece and just about everywhere else in the world are changing every five minutes. Let’s wait and see what new options emerge when Mercury turns around again in two weeks time.
VENUS & THE SATURN – URANUS SQUARE
Immediately following the Eclipse we have Venus picking up this huge square that is the backdrop to the whole year –
Sunday 13 June
- Venus 13 Cancer sextile Uranus 13 Taurus 06.39
- Venus 13 Cancer quinqunx Saturn 13 Aquarius 09.16
Venus = love, money, life’s pleasures, the women in your life. In the Moon’s sign of Cancer home, family and property issues also take on more poignancy.
Saturn in the blind spot quinqunx is inharmonious (five signs apart, nothing whatsoever in common). It’s a minor aspect but still troublesome at the time. Watch out for unnecessary spending or getting ripped off, or for the emergence of the “x” factor that you’d missed when making plans. And if you think that someone isn’t telling you the whole story then they’re probably not.
Uranus is the “all change ready or not” factor and/or great for groups and your social life. The sextile is harmonious (two signs apart).
Saturn makes the rules, Uranus breaks them. The two planets are a mismatch. So personal or work relationships with irreconcilable differences or compatibility issues are at the top of the trouble list. If you or someone close to you is in any kind of relationship or situation that is already disintegrating then, in this astrological weather, I would say that there can only be one possible forecast.
Putting that another way, if you knew that there was a massive electrical thunderstorm coming would you go and stand outside in the middle of a field? Put self protection first, sort out the rest later.
Next week we start with the reminder of the 2021 theme of the Saturn – Uranus square, which will be in evidence this week too but it’s going to be exact next Monday evening. It’s the middle one of the three –
- 17 February – Saturn 7 Aquarius square Uranus 7 Taurus
- 14 June – Saturn 13 Aquarius square Uranus 13 Taurus
- 24 December – Saturn 11 Aquarius square Uranus 11 Taurus
At a personal level these squares will be especially important for you if you have natal planets or Angles that match the signs and degrees involved – within 3 degrees but, again, the closer the contact between transiting planets and natal planets, the more significant the event.
In the blog for the first of these squares back in Feb I wrote –
Personal themes to look out for will have the unmistakable hallmarks of the same kind of crazy conflict also seen out in the world – one person blocking another, one person wanting to leave, the other wanting them to stay, upheaval such as moving house or changing job, being blocked from doing particular things because of lockdown measures, conflict with those who take risks who then put you at risk, anything unexpected that comes hand in hand with hard work or loss, having to deal with those who are difficult or unwilling to negotiate, anything that amounts to bashing your head against a brick wall, anything that demands facing up to a reality and so on.
Not easy, but this combination is like The Tower in the tarot. Something disintegrates, something can no longer continue in its existing structure, something’s gotta give. It indicates a tipping point, in our own decisions or in the shape of decisions that are made for us by force of circumstance.
Much of the symbolism around this square is related to the world situation as Uranus is the planet of the collective, and Saturn is in Aquarius which is Uranus’ sign. But the collective is also made up of personal stories so, to go full circle, slow down and take one thing at a time. Don’t go charging into the fray, think (Mercury) twice (Gemini) and keep your focus on the best possible options or solutions, especially with matters which are going to take time, and especially if you’re dealing with battalions rather than single spies. Think about how effort now will translate into results and pay off in the end, and even if it doesn’t you’ll know you gave something your best shot, which can be just as important. Either way create experience, not regrets,
Until next week, with love from Greece
Joanna