Affecting January, February, March, and April 2024 –
A Third Look at Our Future and What We’ve Fulfilled.

Mercury went direct at 7:08 pm PDT on January 1 and will be in its shadow zone through January 20/21, after which it enters its next phase of moving through "unknown zones" where the themes of this retrograde will be played out in forward motion. So for the next 2 weeks expect some very productive intersections of past and future, giving us a chance to show how willing we are to update our perceptual files, moving forward with a sense of our fulfillment as we stand on the threshold of entering a new phase of life we’ve arrived at during these past few weeks.

Themes related to the span between 23 Sagittarius and 9 Capricorn will be prominent until Mercury enters its next shadow zone at 16 Aries on March 18. At that point we’ll get a look back at what was awakened in our charts between May 2014 and April 2018 when Uranus transited this sector, and we will get signals about lessons Saturn will bring when it transits 16-28 Aries in 2027 and 2028. As it goes stationary retrograde at 28 Aries in August 2027, the information Mercury brings us in April and May 2024 will directly influence what we deal with in 2027.

As noted in part 1, this past year all the Mercury retrograde spans began in Earth signs and ended in Earth signs, helping us take a new look at and/or rethink the practical parts of our life. We just finished a transitional retrograde which began in Earth and ended in the Fire of Sagittarius. This was a prelude to the 2024 RX periods.

The April RX begins in late Fire and ends in Fire. The August RX begins in early Earth and ends in late Fire, and the Nov/Dec RX begins in late Fire and ends in early Fire. As you can see, practicality is still a factor in what’s examined during this past RX and the August RX, but it’s all Fire all the time in the April and Nov/Dec retrograde periods!

This Mercury direct station falls at 23 Sagittarius. It is said that the third third (decan) of any sign deals with the individual, mental, and spiritual levels of life, and as this falls in the last decan of Sagittarius, it has a sub-influence of Leo with an added dose of Saturn. Because Mercury is in Sagittarius, it is in “exile” and is ruled by Jupiter in Taurus. This gives the current Mercury in Sagittarius experience a Taurus backdrop which will modify when Mercury re-enters Capricorn, when it will be ruled by Saturn in Pisces, putting the Jupiter influence into the deeper background.

Aspects in the Shadow Zone

Mercury will transit its “shadow” span of 23 Sagittarius to 9 Capricorn through January 21, with residual echoes throughout the following 13 weeks as well. Mercury going direct will re-activate many of the aspects it's made over the past few weeks, including its long term septile, sextile, and quintile to Saturn, which is about to happen a third time!

As Mercury moves forward from its station in late Sagittarius, it deciles Pluto, squares Neptune, and biquintiles Uranus. Once it enters Capricorn on January 13, it renews its conjunction to Mars, trine to Jupiter, sextile to Saturn, sesquisquare to Uranus, and binovile to Neptune. As you can see, Mercury will be very busy transmitting all kinds of spiritual information from the outer planets.

Of course there are other aspects going on between the other planets, which I described at length in the recent Full Moon articles.

The Moon and Sun at this Station

The Moon at the station is a Disseminating Moon, said to be an “information spreader” and a weaver which wants to disseminate what it’s learned or experienced. It is said to be “assimilative, evalutative, and innovative.” As the Moon is at 20 Virgo in an exact trine to Uranus, the innovation factor is sky high. That degree is about commencing a journey so have confidence as “experience is on the move” as we find a greater promise resulting from our skills.

This will be released via the squares to Mercury and Mars with the Moon’s opposition to Neptune creating the T-square, promising major integration challenges for planets we have in the last decan of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. As the void is in Gemini, a healthy expression of that energy is needed to focus the intensity of this configuration. See many points of view while keeping sight of the bigger picture, share information and perspectives, see the core essentials of things while integrating everything into a larger vision, and collect the remains of the past to find a new understanding.

At this station, the Sun is at 12 Capricorn in close septile to Saturn and quintile to Neptune. The septile to Saturn shows this is a “fork in the road of destiny” direct period, creating the seeds which will begin to sprout at the Sun conjunction with Saturn on February 28. This will set things in motion wherever we have 12 Capricorn and 4 Pisces, and will heavily affect planets or points around 10-14 Capricorn, 2-6 Pisces, 23-27 Aries, 15-19 Gemini, 6-10 Leo, 27 Virgo- 1 Libra, and 18-22 Scorpio.

The Sun’s Sabian symbol is that of a science classroom, so during the next few weeks take the view that you’re being taught certain natural laws, cause and effect cycles, and an objective approach to seeing how things work. There may be a feeling of “psychic traffic jams” in play, but remember this period is primarily about building bridges as we learn and/or teach basic skills to ourselves or others.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

So from here Mercury moves forward! We can now take what we reviewed, got a new understanding of, or found new information about that helped us remember and/or reevaluate some things and move forward with a larger view and contemplation of what has been and what will be, especially in the houses where we have Gemini and Virgo, since Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo.

As it was retrograde between 9 Capricorn and 23 Sagittarius, those house(s) in our charts have been the areas where our review, reflections, returns, reconsiderations, and/or rehearsals have taken place. I gave you some of the possible effects of Mercury in the houses in the article Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn and Sagittarius in December 2023 - What It Means For Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.

Since it is now direct, if there have been misunderstandings or delays these past 3 weeks, it's all moving forward from here! We can begin to get a lot more accomplished, after a period of slow downs, turnarounds, review, reflection, reworking, undoing, and re-planning. We’ve been offered a chance to rethink many things, and experienced new ways of seeing how to organize or reorganize something, or make something more efficient. Now we move forward into a new life knowing we’re traversing familiar ground before we leap into the future in early June.

So things should start moving forward anew fairly quickly. Right now, it’s a good time to use the different information, views, and approaches we’ve been examining through the retrograde lens these past several weeks to find a new productivity as we express our unique gifts. We now have an alternative take on some things, as well as a more organized approach to making things work better, and having taken a slight detour through the past, can move forward into a time of linking up with our Spiritual Brothers and Sisters in a new practical model.

Now that we've done our rehearsals, reviews, revisions, and/or research on those inner and outer experiences showing us the need to simplify and reconsider some of our methods, we can be at ease as we move into a more unique expression. Here we again face the future, knowing a different sense of Being and a new vision of our wisdom.

After the confusion and repeated “turnarounds” trying to get oriented the past week with Mercury and Mars both square Neptune, the Earth trines promise some stability and understanding as we move forward. As Mercury will be square Neptune for another week, followed by Venus squaring Neptune after that, even if it seems like you’re not clear about what way you’re going, see what good there is to be done. As we are Spirits flying freely in the direction we choose, remember the immortal words of George Harrison, “if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”

From Here We Speed Up!

Things related to Mercury will speed up considerably for the next 3 months, so flow with the new YOU you’re experiencing! Meditate on the symbol “Immigrants entering,” since it’s the Sabian symbol I gave you in part 1. That sets the theme for the next 3 months, and helps us be clear about our most effective social technique to prepare for a new life as we give up lesser things to fulfill a greater potential.

There are tremendous spiritual rewards for accepting new conditions and in being clear about our focus. This station allows us to go forward, resuming many things put on hold during the last Mercury retrograde in August and September. We now have a new way of seeing how to bring others together in a common purpose and a “unified stability,” and know what standards we believe in as well as our expertise in expressing them in our own unique way.

We’ve now finished our review of 2023 and how we are at a level of “fulfilled harmony of individuality,” and can move forward with confidence into the new land, the new world, and the new life which will unfold at an incredibly rapid speed these next 9 weeks. We’ve built the bridges we needed in 2023, and will cross them soon. Welcome to the threshold of a new adventure!

A New Look at Mercury Retrograde

In a final plug as Mercury moves forward in its shadow zone, if you want to know more about the qualities of Mercury retrograde in all the signs and houses, please consult your copy of the expanded 2nd edition of A New Look At Mercury Retrograde, available on Amazon. It's a handy reference for everything you could want to know about Mercury retrograde people and Mercury retrograde in the signs and houses. It explores how Mercury retrograde people think and work through things, and why roundabout or delayed interpretations aren’t necessarily a bad thing, whether in kids or adults. Here's the link to where you can order your paperback copy of A New Look at Mercury Retrograde. The ebook is available on Kindle. (Again, just make sure you get the 2016 edition published by the Fifth Ray rather than the 1997 edition originally published by Weiser.)

Reprinted on crystalwind.ca with written permission from Robert Wilkinson. Copying this article to other blogs is strictly prohibited. It is copyright protected. 

© Copyright 2023 Robert Wilkinson

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