Topic: Mercury Retrograde -- Be careful

[breeze]

Watch out everybody Mercury is retrograde agian for another three weeks.  Be careful of arguments with loved ones, communications breakdowns, mis-used words, assumptions, and hurt feelings,  Watch your own words and reactions carefully!  Also, watch out for telecemmunications glitches!  Back up and restore during this period, make extra copies of everything and leave nothing to chance, as Mercury, trickster that he is, will take every opportunity that you give him, to spin things round a bit.

Here's what Astrology.com has to say about this one:

At 03:50 UT (Universal Time) Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011, Mercury the wise communicator—and universal trickster—turns retrograde at 1°12' Virgo in the sign of the Virgin, sending communications, travel, appointments, mail and the www into a general snarlup! The retro period begins some days before the actual turning point (as Mercury slows) and lasts for three weeks or so, until August 26, 2011, when the Winged Messenger reaches his direct station. At this time he halts and begins his return to direct motion through the zodiac.

Everything finally straightens out on September 9th, as he passes the point where he first turned retrograde. Mercury normally turns retrograde three times a year, but last year he turned tail four times, which is unusual, and his shadow phase was still active in early January 2011. The effects of each period differ, according to the sign in which it happens (see box for Retrograde Periods in 2011).

The key issue here is one of focus. Mercury's retro phase tends to bring unforeseen changes and blockages, but the aggravation and frustration that many of us experience during these periods is often due to our own inability to roll with the punches. Is this due to our ego-fixation?

 Mercury sets out to restructure our thinking processes and for many of us this is painful and frustrating. Unresolved issues from the past tend to push themselves forward. Moreover, these experiences reveal flaws in our internal organisation as well as our external planning, which can make us feel foolish and inadequate. Keep your eyes peeled; Mercury's retro period gives us the chance to find out just what has been missed!

Mercury retrograde, like any cosmic aspect, affects people differently, depending on where it hits their personal charts. Some people actually prosper under a retro Mercury, especially if Mercury is retrograde but otherwise well-aspected in their birth charts. Some people even excel in the way they play roulette under a retrograde Mercury! It is also a time when matters begun under a previous retro period will come to fruition, or completion as the case may be. Firm decisions that have been previously made when Mercury is travelling normally through the zodiac may be implemented or finalised while Mercury is retrograde without too much worry, for experience shows that this can be done without undue problems arising.

Mercury Retrograde in Virgo

When Mercury is retrograde, everyone's thinking is more introspective; we tend to think about issues and concerns that relate to the sign involved. With Mercury retrograde this time in critical, discriminating, intellectual Virgo, people with this sign prominent in their charts will be especially prone to such introspection. Virgo is both the night-sign domicile and the exaltation of Mercury, so Mercury here is especially potent and significant. It is a Mutable Sign, so the other Mutable Signs, Gemini, Sagittarius and Pisces are also likely to experience considerable conflict between heart and head, along with a good dose of typical disruption.

Mercury turns retro at 1°12' Virgo on August 3, amidst a veritable welter of potent aspects on the day, the most notable being the tight opposition to deceptive Neptune in sensitive Pisces, which is itself in conjunction with Chiron, the wounded healer. Both Neptune and Chiron are retrograde. This aspect advises us not to attempt anything that requires logic and clear thinking, as the relevant information and ideas may be illusory, intentionally deceptive, or even quite dangerous. Trying to make the right decision or to get at the truth is barely possible. This is not the time for travel on water, photography, business transactions (especially those that involve water, drug, or oil-related products or property), or spiritual studies and activities. It's important to resist any tendency to self-pity and despair, even if personal loss or disappointment come up. It would be wise to avoid incurring debt or lending money to others during this phase, which is a time for careful deliberation and cautious behaviour.

More here:
http://www.astrologycom.com/mercret.html

[breeze]

Personally, as a Gemini, Mercury is my ruling planet, so I can be influenced by this in a big way.  However, I am going to use this one to my full advantage!

The Power of Women

 Juno, the wife of Jupiter and queen of the ancient gods, is rising in Libra in the UT chart as Merc turns and within an hour is joined by the Moon, awakening these aspects, for the Moon is the cosmic trigger. We also see Venus, the planetary ruler of the chart, standing at the point of the New Moon in Leo, which occurs only days before on August 30 in the midst of the Aselli, a nebulous cluster in the first decanate of tropical Leo. This is a difficult position, especially given that Venus herself is conjunct Praesepe, an unfortunate Fixed Star known to moderns as the Beehive, M44, an open nebula on the back of the Crab. This Martial star is also known as the Manger, flanked by the Aselli, the two asses of the nativity of Jesus. Praesepe stimulates inner drive, but is reclusive.  Known as the soul gate, through which souls enter earthly incarnation, it is thought on a mundane level to be fortunate in business. No doubt the evils associated with this sector of the zodiac will be attenuated somewhat by the power of Venus, but since Venus is combust and afflicted, her more sensual and avaricious side is likely to present itself. The Aselli themselves are pretty horrifying and bring about massive changes in society when awakened, usually through violent catastrophe of one kind or another.

 Venus is still in conjunction with the Sun in Leo as Merc turns, but this Sun/Venus conjunction is also opposed to Pallas Athene, the wise female warrior, and Vesta, the divine flame, in Aquarius. The asteroids are very active in this chart, along with the Moon, Venus and Neptune (all considered feminine influences). It seems that women and what might be described as feminine concerns will come to the forefront during this phase

[Michael]

Thanks for the heads-up Gypsy.

[breeze]

Thanks for the heads-up Gypsy.

Welcome!  I should've mentioned also, that since Mercury is also Virgo's ruling planet, Mercury retros can be difficult for them as well.   Pus, this time, Mercury is retro in the sign of Virgo, so adds a double whammy!

Mercury's Themes:

concise thinking, dry wit, analyzer, linguist, perfect planning, editing and fact-checking, understanding systems, logical, commonsense, thorough

Possible Challenges:
losing sight of big picture, stickler for a rational narrative, misses nuances of emotion, hyper critical, obsessively meticulous, worry over small problems


Notables with Mercury in Virgo:
Robert Redford, Ray Charles, Salma Hayek, Edward Norton, Madonna, Tori Amos, Coco Chanel, Robert Plant, Freddie Mercury, Alfred Hitchcock, Colin Firth, Neil Armstrong, Sean Connery, Keanu Reeves, Ted Hughes, Sting
The Virgo Mentality:

Virgo is considered a mercurial sign, and those with this placement have gifts of communication. The thinking processes are concise, and have a sense of order built-in. If this is your Mercury, you're apt to be a wordsmith, someone that builds up language carefully. This orderly mindframe translates to a high level of competence in whatever field of work you engage in.

You like to approach new situations in a detached way, and coming to your own conclusion after you've collected all the facts. This makes you a cool head in a crisis. You're able to be matter-of-fact, when others lose their clarity in emotions or passions. You express your views in a modest way, and don't usually need others to validate your perspective. The Virgo mentality is self-contained and whole unto itself, which makes you a clear voice that grasps the essentials.

In Virgo, Mercury speaks with a voice of integrity. What motivates the attempt to understand is a desire for the whole picture, to have an integrated view. You're able to weave in all the threads, seeing how they fit into the big picture. The fascination with the pieces of the puzzle can keep you from seeing the overall structure. You can drive people crazy when your precise focus becomes a pin light on an issue. Getting stuck on the details, can keep you from seeing other dimensions of the situation at hand.

 If you're not involved in something that feels purposeful, you lose interest. As a creative thinker, you stick close to the ground, in a structure that's got a real-life rhythm. This gives you the ability to write, draw, sing, express your imagination in ways that others can relate to. Your find the artful in the everyday.

Your manner of speaking is understated, which is why your humor comes off as dry. You notice things that others miss. Your mind separates the wheat from the chaff, drawing out the essentials on which to build a clear vision. You're not easily distracted by empty words, and come across yourself as sincere, a virtuous thinker. This makes others more likely to trust your opinion, since it's usually pure, untainted by a hidden motive.

The Virgo mentality is a working one, always seeking to be productive. You like to keep the wheels turning, and enjoy puzzles and wordgames that challenge your mind. You like to read, and are drawn to anything well written, and that meets your standards of research. You're a serious thinker, who is always refining your perspective.

In Virgo, the duality of Gemini subdivides into a multiplicity. The Mercurial Virgoan can skillfully cope with a vast assortment of details. This is an exemplary sign position for Mercury, which both rules and is exalted in Virgo. The pragmatism of the sign effectively grounds the airy diffusiveness of the planet and directs its force into suitable channels of expression. 

While Mercury in its positive sign Gemini flits like a butterfly from one intriguing idea to the next, Mercury in Virgo is pinned down to a solid surface of facts which can be microscopically studied, labeled, and preserved for posterity. Such precision may be hard on the butterfly, but the cause of human knowledge is advanced.

Since Virgo rules the digestive system, Mercury therein imparts the ability to digest information. The intellect is less innovative than adaptive, endeavoring to find out where everything fits, glorifying physical fitness, and wanting people to behave fittingly. This compartmentalization of functions is fine from a utilitarian point of view, but the compulsion to be correct can inhibit the mind from reaching higher intuitive realms where differences fade and opposites blend.

The old saying, "the mind is a good servant but a poor master," is confirmed by the assignation of Mercury to the sign of service. The Virgoan Mercury is useful to the extent that it is disciplined, controlled, and kept "in its place." While propitious for scholarly research, it is less well suited to the inductive process of reasoning on which the broader application of knowledge depends.

Writers with Mercury in Virgo often produce books replete with voluminous data, formidably buttressed with footnotes and erudite references. Yet they are reluctant to integrate their mosaic bits of facts into the larger picture.

A debilitating lack of confidence, to which most Virgoans are prone because of their strongly self-critical faculty, can lead to unwillingness to take a strong stand on any fundamental issue. Someone else — probably a fire-sign person — generally has to be the one to assert, "This I believe."

Mercury in Virgo can dissect with precision or desiccate with unending revisions. If the vital juices have been sapped by excessive ratiocination, scholarship degenerates into dull pedantry. On the positive side, the mental faculties may be so keenly honed that almost any problem can be solved — if it has a solution. If it does not, it may not be recognized to exist.

[Nichi]

Thank goodness my Merc is in Libra!

[breeze]

Thank goodness my Merc is in Libra!

Should add some balance for sure.   Mine's in Gemini, so I get a super does of the mercurial stuff!

[Michael]

Thank god I bought a BMW instead of a Merc.

[breeze]

It's over.  Actually was over around the 29th of August, but I did notice some residual effects as late as yesterday.   We should be good to communicate and telecommunicate more easily and free from glitches.