Mercury retrograde and beyond: using astrology to know thyself
by Nancy B. Loughlin
Published in News Press on June 3, 2014. Posted with permission.
Starting this Saturday, barricade yourself inside.
Mercury is going retrograde. You can come out on Tuesday.
Given that Mercury is the planet of communication, when it reverses during retrograde, astrologically –minded people tend to expect petty annoyances with e-mails, misunderstandings, technical malfunctions and an overall failure to communicate. People fear that this may not be the best time to start new business ventures or to sign contracts. They might stay guarded and confirm all meeting times, double-check and revise work and be careful of miscommunication when sending emails back and forth. They will also try to be patient during those anticipated traffic jams.
But, these responses might be excessive. According to Ray Sette, professional astrologer and author of “The Planets Align So Rare: Twelve Dimensions of the Human Potential”, retrograde Mercury gets a bad rap.
“A retrograde Mercury has a positive potential. It’s time to move within, to reflect and review,” Sette said. “It’s all the ‘re’ words.”
So what does it mean when Mercury is in retrograde? It’s an illusion. When you look at Mercury from Earth during this time, it appears to reverse direction.
Sette suggests decreasing the fear and upping the willingness to move inward. Perhaps clean out your closet this weekend.
But can your life be influenced by movement in the universe?
If you accept the premise that everything has a vibration and that all things are connected, planetary shifts are going to have an impact. Astrologers have been consulted for thousands of years because many people believe there is a connection between life on Earth and predictable patterns of movement in the universe.
If you were curious as to what the heavens had to offer, you wouldn’t be alone. Kings and queens, political leaders and the famous and infamous have consulted astrologers prior to making enormous decisions. The Reagan White House would be the most famous example.
An event like Mercury retrograde along with full moons and lunar and solar eclipses are believed to resonate among all people. But, most importantly, astrology can offer alternative metaphysical and spiritual insight as to what’s happening in your own life.
However, Sette warned, the sun and planets don’t have power over you. You have free will. Astrology doesn’t compel, but it can influence. Once you understand this system and your place in it, not only can astrology help you recognize your behavior patterns, but you can use this information for taking positive action in your life, now and in the future.
“I consider your personal astrological chart to be your spiritual DNA,” Sette said.
Since astrology is complex and requires many years to understand the depths of this ancient discipline, begin with your natal chart. It is a snapshot of the sky at the precise moment and location of your birth. The best way to get your natal chart is to go online. Visit www.alabe.com or www.chaosastrology.com for a free natal chart.
Whatever position the sun occupied at your birth is your “sign,” your sun sign. This sign and the qualities associated with it describe your essential self. The newspaper horoscope focuses only on the sun sign, and this is way too general to be accurate considering every individual has a unique astrological composition.
Look beyond your sun sign to your rising sign, the ascendant. That is the sign climbing over the eastern horizon at the time of your birth. The qualities associated with this sign comprise the mask you wear to the world. It’s what you allow people to see. For some people, the sun sign and the rising sign are the same; what you see is what you get. For others, not so.
This isn’t bad information to have. You can know yourself and also check out colleagues and potential friends or lovers.
Where’s your moon? Your moon is your emotional and instinctual powerhouse. How do you react? What is the nature of your unconscious?
Investigating the placements of the sun, your ascendant and your moon will offer more than a mere newspaper horoscope.
Your chart is not only divided up into the 12 signs of the zodiac, but the planets are also arranged in houses. Each of the twelve houses correspond to different life areas including appearance, money, communication and connection, romance and creativity, work and health, sex, education, career and ambition, friends, enemies.
Which planets and, therefore, which characteristics guide which houses? Even more importantly, what is the interplay of the aspects, the angles between the planets, the overlap of the signs and houses? How does your natal chart interact with the present?
This is where the professional readers earn their pay.
There is debate whether astrology is an art, a science or just superstition. Regardless, it is universally entertaining and sometimes (often) prescient.
For more information, visit Ray Sette’s website: http://astrologerray.com/
