Sun & Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius

Sun & Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius

Light. We are awestruck by the fervent light of sunsets. We are mesmerized by the quivering light of fire. We turn on electric lights to stretch our days, and make the night disappear into the forests and heavens. Light is pregnant with poetic impact. It conjures a sense of all things right, good and magical. We think of it as awareness - the “light of consciousness.” We can visualize light in our minds, but we don’t know exactly what light is... or what “mind” is. Light is made up of photons, but we don’t know if photons are particles (matter) or waves (energy) or both. Mind is made up of... thoughts? dreams? emptiness? consciousness? something as yet unnamed that may be matter or energy or maybe both? This month, the planets urge you to mind your thoughts, illuminate the shadows of your understanding, and screw some fresh light bulbs into your noggin.

A brief word from our sponsor:

My next quarterly workshop (3/1/15) on the planetary energies (eclipses and outer planet squares, oh my!) of the coming spring - and herbs to support an evolutionary path through said energies - only has a couple spots left. Sign up here, or contact Homestead Apothecary to get first dibs on the June 23rd class on summer’s planets (Virgo download and Venus retrograde) and herbs - and check out Homestead’s other fine offerings while you’re at it.

Sun in Aquarius: 1/20/15 - 2/18/15

Aquarius is a sign that enjoys surprise doses of the unfamiliar, the unusual, the unsettled and unsettling. With the Sun - our “light of consciousness” - transiting through this iconoclastic portion of the zodiac, it behooves us to stimulate our minds by expanding our community, meeting some new people, and shaking up our routines a bit. Your signpost this month is energy.

Do your activities energize or drain you?

Do the people in your life energize or drain you?

Do your ideas & perspectives energize or drain you?

Aquarius is a particularly frisky sign at the moment because its two rulers just went through some major changes around the winter solstice. Uranus, ruler of earthquakes, electricity and “Eureka!” moments, stationed direct then, which frees us to take tangible actions on our major insights of the past six months. Meanwhile, stodgy ole Saturn, ruler of boundaries, responsibilities, limitations, and authority, entered boundless and ebullient Sagittarius a couple days later. This means it’s time to climb some mountains, strive for some grander things in life, take a look at the big picture, declare our truth - and live by it. These major planetary changes are igniting Aquarius with renewed brilliance.

What is your truth?

What is your experience of reality?

Do you enjoy the reality you find yourself in?

Does your reality leave room for others - their truth, their perspective, their presence?

If your truth is inaccurate, how does that effect your reality?

Mercury Retrograde in Aquarius: 1/21/15 - 2/11/15

Too much smooth sailing would be boring, and so un-Aquarius-like. We need something to shake things up a bit. A Mercury retrograde cycle in the sign of Aquarius is just what’s needed to add a bit more mental voltage to our Aquarius month.

Let’s get the general Mercury retrograde advice out of the way: Mercury retrograde cycles are famous for disrupting the flow of modern life, but a few general precautions will help you get through this planetary bump in the road with a little more grace. First of all, as with any bump in a road, SLOW DOWN. If you slow down, you can be more flexible, catch some striking scenery you’ve been flying past without noticing, and thus appease our nimble trickster god. Some other Mercury retrograde rules of thumb are back up your communication devices (computers, phones, etc) and tune up your vehicles (bikes, cars, etc) BEFORE Mercury stations retrograde (1/21), and give yourself extra time to get around, and maintain a state of openness when miscommunications and transportation failures arise during Mercury’s retrograde.

As with any planetary event, there is something to learn during this Aquarian Mercury retrograde cycle. Learning is easy if you have an open mind, but we cannot learn if we are rigid in our perspectives. Aquarius is a fixed sign, ruled both by re-volt-ing, en-light-ening Uranus and conservative, limiting Saturn. If you wish to adhere to what you already know and believe, be prepared to suffer and cause suffering to others during this Mercury retrograde. The other option is to experience the liberation of allowing your mind to be blown apart by the illuminating insights available during this retrograde. Now more than ever, these insights come from our interactions with others. Then watch your creativity soar to exhilarating heights you never knew were possible.

The most basic principle of the planet Mercury is this: The quality and accuracy of our perception shapes our experience of reality. With Mercury in community-oriented Aquarius, we also enter into the territory of collective perception. We tend to seek out communities that support our current view of reality, but this retrograde cycle suggests it’s time to seek out people and communities that both challenge and recharge our view of reality.

What communication and perception issues have cropped up since the second week of January?

Do you feel stuck - in your life, in your creativity, in your relationships, in any way?

How might your perspective be keeping you stuck?

Which people that you associate with support your current view of reality?

Do these relationships energize or drain you?

Which people that you associate with challenge your current view of reality?

Do these relationships energize or drain you?

The Aquarius Lunation culminates in Leo: 2/3/15

The Aquarius lunation begins on 1/20/15, with Mercury at a standstill, conjoined with Venus opposite Jupiter, Mars conjunct Neptune, and the South Node conjunct Uranus. These combinations suggest it’s time to expand our consciousness to include others’ perspectives, deepen our compassion for ourselves, and release perspectives that put us in fight-or-flight mode. This new moon would also be a great time for an intentional, cleansing and self-loving, candle-lit bath.

What is the difference between action and re-action?

What is true liberation?

If liberation begins in the mind, what perspectives might set you free?

How can you love yourself more?

By the Leo full moon on 2/3/15, Venus has conjoined Neptune, while Jupiter is conjoined by the Moon and opposed by the Sun. Hopefully, you’ve practiced self-compassion (foundation), and are now ready to feel deeper levels of compassion for others (castle). For best effect, make sure your castle is built on a good foundation. You may feel pulled between your joy and your responsibilities, between yourself and your community, or you may feel like your mind is being blown at every moment. At this point, we are more than halfway through Mercury’s retrograde period, signifying it’s time to start experimenting with some of what we’ve learned in the past couple weeks.

What and who brings you joy and energy?

What and whom do you love?

What and who do you feel loved by?

What and whom are worthy of your energy?