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Overlapping Mercury and Venus Retrogrades

For half of January 2022, Mercury will be retrograde at the same time as Venus is. Mercury is retrograde for 21 days, about half the duration of Venus’s 41-day retrograde. Such an overlap doesn’t happen every year. In fact, looking back to 2000, there were no such incidences through 2016. Beginning in 2017, it has happened 9 times in 14 years. So we can’t say this is rare but it’s also not something to which we’re accustomed.

We have a hard enough time when one or the other of these ordinarily quick planets backtracks and spends an extra long time in one small part of the zodiac. It’s doubly difficult when retrograde simultaneously. The information and communication mix-ups for which Mercury Retrograde is famous bleed into the arena of finances and relationships, which come under the purview of Venus. Are you getting the idea that January is not going to be a month where we charge ahead and make great progress?

Venus is retrograde 12/19/21 until 1/29/22. Mercury is retrograde 1/14 – 2/3/22. The two weeks they are both in reverse are from 1/14 – 1/29. And not only do their time frames overlap, the degrees where they zigzag also overlap, barely. Venus marched from 12º to 26º Capricorn before turning retrograde to repeat those degrees. Mercury descends from 10º Aquarius to 24º Capricorn before ascending through those degrees again. So that little 2-degree slice, 24º-26º Capricorn, has both Mercury and Venus passing through it three times.

This just happens to be in the neighborhood where Pluto is travelling at 25º-27º Capricorn. Both Venus and Mercury pass by Pluto three times. Venus joins Pluto on 12/11/21, 12/25/21 and 3/3/22 (this last time, Mars teams up with Venus and Pluto). Mercury gets together with Pluto on 12/30/21, 1/28/22 and 2/11/22. Pluto throws an additional monkey wrench into the works. As the planet related to banking, investments, insurance, taxes, the economy and all joint financial and shared monetary matters (while Venus relates to individual finances). With all three in Capricorn, the sign of rules, organizations, business and government, you can see the potential for big problems.

Add to this, Pluto isn’t finished with its 90º abrasion (“square” aspect in astrological lingo) with Eris, the dwarf planet of chaos and battles, known as a trouble-maker. Eris is S-L-O-W and spends a long time in any one degree. Currently, Eris is moving between 23º and 24º Aries. Pluto, which is associated with viruses and death, hit 24º Capricorn five times in 2020-2021 and its five squares with Eris correlated rather closely with waves of COVID-19. Apparently, we’re not done yet. Even though there won’t be another exact occurrence, their positions relative to one another are not far off that 90º mark and the bottom line is about the same. From early August through early November, Pluto is less than 2º from an exact square with Eris. And at the 10/25 Solar Eclipse, Mercury at 22-1/2º Libra forms a T-square with Pluto at 26º Capricorn and Eris at 24º Aries. Mercury rules the respiratory system and Libra is sign of the Air element, so the possibility exists that we might still be dealing with airborne viruses well into the fall of 2022.

Venus is square Eris 3 times, on 12/7/21, 12/30/21 and 2/26/22. These are points where partners could have disagreements or mistakes may be made in personal finances. In the midst of this, Mercury and Venus are conjunct on 12/29/21, a time around which we are reminded of our most important values and when we have a stronger chance of being tactful about any harsh realities we need to communicate.

The Venus-Eris square on 12/30/21 occurs close enough to the New Moon on 1/2/22 that it still is powerful then and impacts the following four-week lunar cycle. At the next New Moon on 2/1, Mercury sits at the 24º spot, 2 degrees from Pluto and square Eris by one degree, again a dicey indicator that affects the following four weeks. The New Moon on 3/2 finds Venus, Mars and Pluto around 27º Capricorn and all three square Eris with a leeway of 3-plus degrees from exact, still pretty darn close. Again, the following four weeks fall under their sway. So there go the first three months of the new year, a tough time for finances and relationships, and all forms of communication.

If you have planets in your chart in the range of 23º-28º of any sign, they’re being shaken up. In fact, the degree range of 24-26º has eleven key planetary phenomena happening in 2022, including the Lunar Eclipse on 5/16. Fasten your seat belt! Whatever your planet(s) indicate in your life is apt to get a lot of your attention and go through major changes this year.

You can find the dates of Venus’s and Mercury’s “stations” (turning points) and the exact degrees where they go retrograde and return to direct motion on 2022 On a Page, a free downloadable PDF at AstrologyBooth.com. You’ll also see those other occurrences at 24º-26º (be sure to read the note at the bottom about Eris).

Even though the dates when phenomena discussed are precise and are the most potent times, these influences are still strong for days before and after these dates. So stay on your toes!

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A Trio of Summer of Eclipses

Most of the time when we have eclipses, there’s a pair, one new moon and one full moon, in either order. Not as often, there’s a trio, like we have in 2020. When there are three, none of them is likely to be total, and indeed, none of this trio is. The first eclipse is a lunar eclipse full moon on June 5. Next is a solar eclipse new moon, exactly on the summer solstice – and that combination is very rare and extremely potent. Third is another lunar eclipse full moon, this one on Uncle Sam’s birthday July 4-5 in the overnight wee hours. When there’s a full moon on a birthday, it points to a big year and an important crescendo, even more so when it’s an eclipse!

Eclipses by definition occur near the path of the North and South Nodes (which are an intersection of the Moon-Earth orbit and the Earth-Sun orbit). They form an axis of opposite degrees which slowly moves backward through the zodiac at a pace of about eighteen months per pair of signs. The Nodes have just left Cancer-Capricorn and moved into Gemini-Sagittarius. The North Node shows us the direction for growth even if growing pains are part of the process. The South Node shows what it would be beneficial to shed or put in the past. The South Node also shows what comes easily, which we can fall back on or use as a springboard to go toward the hard things the North Node is calling for.

The new instructions beckon us to bring out the best of Gemini: curiosity, education, communication and community. Using Sagittarius associations in positive ways will help us in that regard, such as higher principles or religious beliefs, freedom, the media and the internet, and international contact. The old slogan “Think Globally, Act Locally” expresses it best. Negative Sagittarius traits might hold us back, such as not being serious enough, being easily sidetracked and pontificating. We’re finishing a period of moving in the direction of Cancer energy: caring concern and a love of home, family and nation. What we should have been leaving behind are negative Capricorn affiliations: judgment, authoritarianism and repression.

The June 5 full moon eclipse is in Sagittarius highlighting the South Node newly into Sagittarius. Laws relate to this sign and there are some old ones that could stand to be changed. A key feature of this eclipse is the Moon and Sun forming a T-square pattern with Mars, the planet of anger and action. We see this shown by the protest marches around the world. Mars in Pisces isn’t usually outwardly angry, but Pisces is the sign of the underdog, so that’s who people are fighting for now. Mercury is in Cancer, indicating emotional communication, and Mercury is riding high in the sky, beyond the Sun’s range that defines the normal planetary path (said to be “out of bounds”). Voices are loud and will not be silenced.

In two weeks, summer begins the afternoon of June 20 and less than nine hours later, the new moon solar eclipse in Cancer kicks off the new season with a bang. What happens at the time a season changes reverberates throughout the following three months. The Moon and Sun at the first degree of Cancer are a little more than a degree away from the North Node at the end of Gemini, emphasizing our new marching orders to look around, listen, learn and speak up. Because Cancer is a water sign, we put feeling into these endeavors.

The eclipse chart set in our nation’s capital has Uranus on the rise, less than three degrees from the horizon (Ascendant). This could bring rebelliousness and surprises. Uranus in Taurus can literally mean sudden movement of the earth, such as earthquakes, not necessarily that one will happen in the DC area (but it’s not unheard of – there was one in 2011). Mars is still in Pisces, close to this sign’s ruling planet, Neptune (adding even more emotion and sympathy). Its square with the Sun, nearly exact on June 5, continues, now about five degrees from exact. This would mean its effects are dissipating somewhat except that this eclipse is at the season change, so the fiery feelings persist throughout the summer season, reinforced by the Moon being exactly square Mars at the solstice.

The most difficult of the trio of eclipses is apt to be the third in early July. By then, Mars is the sign it rules, Aries, having entered on June 27. Mars spends the remainder of 2020 in Aries, a long time in one sign, because it’s retrograde here from September 9 to November 13. This powerful planet at its strongest can bring impatience, decisive action (whether wise or rash), selfishness and war or military involvement. At this eclipse, Mars is approaching Chiron a little more than five degrees away (they join July 14). Chiron can show where a weakness needs to be strengthened or a wound needs to be healed. Mars wants us to take action to cure what ails us. This eclipse is also very near the second of three conjunctions of Jupiter and Pluto (June 29), which portend big changes, extremes in economic matters, and the potential for high death tolls. Covid-19 is not going away any time soon, unfortunately, and the economy is still in serious danger.

This is a precarious time! On the individual level, improving communication and maintaining perspective and humor are in keeping with the Gemini-Sagittarius nodal shift. The robust Mars energy can be utilized for physical activity and competing. Be careful of temper and try to find ways to channel anger into constructive action.

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New Moon in Gemini 2020

Gemini, the sign of the twins, hosts the New Moon once each spring (between May 21 and June 21, approximately) when the Moon passes by the Sun. This year, their pairing comes early in the sign, at 2°, on May 22. The ruling planet of Gemini, Mercury, is also in this sign, teaming up with Venus at the exact same degree, 20° Gemini. That’s a lot of 2s in 2020!

Two is the archetype of duality: two sides to a story or a question, two poles at either end of a spectrum. It’s also the number of partnering, combining, moving past solo to a twosome, from single to married. When we double the two, as in 2020, we get 4 energy, which is stabilizing and provides structure and guidelines. Four is the number of manifestation and the material world. Thus 2020 is a great year for laying a foundation for cooperation. It’s a little difficult to imagine that something good will come of the current pandemic, but I believe it will set us on a new path of less competition (“1” energy) and more teamwork. We all affect one another and depend on one another.

The Moon-Sun dyad is one-third of the sky away from (“trine”) Saturn, the primary planet of form and matter. This helpful connection keeps us grounded, which is good considering half the planets are now in the Air element (the four in Gemini plus Saturn in Aquarius). Communication is emphasized with a prominent Air influence and Saturn’s participation gives us goals and a focus. We’re not just all talk; we want a purpose.

Venus is the planet of values and resources, which are both bound to be topics of discussion: what’s most important to do, in what order, with the resources at hand. This is a concern for individuals as well as the collective. Venus is in her backward Retrograde trajectory, so we may be re-visiting prior discussions and reconnecting with people we’ve drifted apart from. Gemini is the sign of siblings, neighbors and school chums, so it’s a good time to be in touch with these folks.

Mercury and Venus traveling together usually is a favorable indicator, aiding in harmonious communication, flattery, negotiations and reaching agreement. They’re having some trouble, though, because they’re in a friction position (90° “square”) relative to Neptune, a planet of cloudiness or confusion, sometimes even of deception. We have to look carefully, and probably twice, at situations to see the truth or to get the whole picture. Neptune is also related to compassion, and these are times that reveal who has it and who doesn’t. Neptune is in Pisces (the sign it “rules” or is most strongly associated with), where we also find Mars only a degree away from Ceres. Mars spurs action and is most tender in Pisces. Ceres offers Great Mother nurturing energy. Their blend calls to us to take steps to help those in need. These two are about a sign behind (in a harmonious “semisextile” with) Chiron, the “repairman,” offering innovation, solutions and improvements. One sign further along in the zodiac (also in a cooperative link with Mars, Ceres and Chiron) is Uranus, which likes to sound the alarm and contributes unpredictability as well as inventiveness. Things get shaken up but could end up in better condition. So much depends on outlook and expectations. Mercury and Neptune are the two most potent planets at this new moon: all the planets’ sign location’s rulers trace back to either Mercury or Neptune. Since Mercury and Neptune are square, getting a clear picture is very difficult, and while the power of positive visualization would be a constructive use of this duo, it’s hard work to bring out their best. It’s a important time to pay attention to symbols and signs; they will speak volumes. So will dreams.

The distribution of the planets around the zodiac is very lopsided now; they’re all occupying only one half of the circle. This usually intensifies a certain sector of a chart. Beyond the edges of the planetary cluster, forming a boundary, are the Moon’s Nodes, the North Node and (always opposite, by definition) the South Node. The Moon travels fully around the circle in a month, but for about three months now, all the other planets have stayed on one side of the Nodal axis. Such a condition is described as presenting “dense” energy, and isn’t it interesting that the virus transmission has been worst in dense population situations? Perhaps we’ll see a decrease in new cases as this condition shifts in the coming weeks when Mercury and then the Sun move into the empty half, on May 28 and June 19, respectively.

The North Node of the Moon is now at 0° Cancer. Since the Nodes move from higher to lower degrees of each sign, the North Node is ending its approximately one-and-a-half-years visit to Cancer, with the South Node ending its time in the opposite sign, Capricorn. They’re heading into Gemini and Sagittarius, respectively, and that’s where eclipses will occur beginning with the June 5 Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius. The Nodes signal trends in how we connect with one another to work out our karma. The Cancer-Capricorn axis oriented us to deal with needs and duties, how we take care of one another or have power over one another. The Gemini-Sagittarius pair puts the spotlight on communication, knowledge, news, truth and transparency, the big picture and the pieces of the puzzle.

The North Node’s 0° Cancer position at this Gemini New Moon is where the next New Moon will be in a month, foreshadowing developments to come. That New Moon is an eclipse on June 21, the Summer Solstice, which is rare and powerful! The Full Moon of that cycle will also be an eclipse. These are the last eclipses in Cancer and Capricorn for seven years. The Full Moon Lunar Eclipse is right at the USA’s birthday – holy-Uncle Sam-moley! A crescendo is building in America and Independence Day will have quite a display of fireworks. More on that next time.

© 2020 Janet Booth for AstrologyBooth

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SHINE ON HARVEST MOON

At this time of year, the Sun moves through Virgo. Think of the shaft of wheat held by the “Virgin” in some depictions of this sign and how the full moon (across from the Virgo Sun) lights up the fields at night enough for overtime work. Hence the Harvest Moon. This year, it coincides with Friday, the 13th. OK, to be technical, in the Eastern time zone, the exact full moon is after midnight (12:33 AM) on the 14th. In the rest of America’s time zones, it’s on Friday. Close enough. The astrological significance of Friday the Thirteenth stems from Friday being the day in honor of Venus and Thirteen being a number associated with Venus. It’s like a double Venus day.

At the Full Moon, Venus and Mercury are hand-in-hand, fostering cooperative discussions and negotiations, sweet talk and lovers tête-à-têtes. They are poised at Libra’s doorstep, entering the sign together early on the 14th. (Mercury is in Libra until October 3, Venus until the 8th.) Smooth communications may not be enough to counter-balance the difficult influence of a T-square (possibly the toughest pattern in a chart) formed by Mars quickly sparring with a slow Jupiter-Neptune square that’s in place off and on in 2019. Its third and final flare-up is Sept. 21 (prior instances were 1/13/19 and 6/16/19). This has magnified confusion and put a spotlight on trust issues. Jupiter and its sign of rulership, Sagittarius where it’s traveling for most of this year, are associated with the media, the legal arena, foreigners and universities. Neptune is moving through the sign it rules, too: Pisces, together highlighting compassion or the lack thereof. Mars’ addition to the mix introduces haste, anger, competition, self-concern or existential issues. Sometimes there are news stories where these themes converge. An example would be hurricane victims (related to Neptune, ruler of the downtrodden) trying to cross an international border (Jupiter) for their very survival (Mars).

Another key tense configuration at the Full Moon is the Moon and Sun opposite each other and both are in the stressful half-square / square-and-half connection to Uranus. The Pisces Moon inclines us to rely on instincts and impressions, while the Virgo Sun gives a preference for critical analysis and facts. Uranus in the Earth sign Taurus also favors a scientific, realistic assessment, but it’s the planet of surprises, which could certainly crop up. Uranus is also related to technological matters, which might either pose a risk or be a saving grace. This pattern may show you your unique way (Uranus) to do your spiritual (Pisces)work (Virgo).

The Jupiter-Neptune square is shoved again next month by Mercury 10/4 – 10/5 and by Venus 10/9 – 10/12, each in Scorpio making the half-square to Jupiter and the square-and-half to Neptune. We might experience the “swimming in circles” feeling again but probably without so much irritation (Mars isn’t involved) and hopefully with the impetus to make some changes. Scorpio is a good sign for letting go, turning the page and moving on.

Jupiter is in a little trouble again right after that with its third and final square-and-half to Uranus (earlier occurrences were 1/9 and 6/6). This connection usually brings some unexpected doozies so keep your seatbelts fastened. Electrical problems or storms with associated power outages are a strong possibility; have those extra batteries ready. Friction in international relations is another likely manifestation.

After this fanfare fireworks finale, smoother planetary interactions come into play. November and December will seem tame in comparison (well, for many people); in fact, they’re some of the easiest months of 2019. There is the likelihood of “karma” at work in Washington in November. Using the “geodetic” equivalents for longitudes of world locations – the zodiac degree wrap around our globe beginning at 0 degrees of Aries in Greenwich, England, and going eastward through the signs – the USA east coast is in the Capricorn area. Saturn is moving through Capricorn, hitting 17 degrees (Washington’s location) for the third time in November. It was there earlier this year in late February to early March and late June through the middle of July. Check news from around then for hints as to what’s coming up.

With any of these third visits, usually the planets have done most of their work in the first two and there’s a call-back to or wrap-up of what went on before. Sometimes the phenomenon of “things happen in threes” is in evidence. Three visits from a moving planet happens because of the zigzag movement due to retrogradation, an optical illusion when a faster planet lines up with a slower one. The good news is you have three chances to utilize the planets’ energies. For keywords of what is associated with each planet and sign, see the Astrologer’s Apprentice Cheat Sheet from AstrologyBooth.com.

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LIVING WITH MERCURY RETROGRADE

Sooner or later, everyone has to deal with Mercury Retrograde (explained in detail in my article Mercury Retrograde). The general recommendation is to keep your wits about you and be willing to revise or redo.

Every three months or so, the “trickster” planet Mercury appears to move backward through the zodiac for about three weeks. Since it’s the planet of communication and local transportation – key matters in our everyday lives – it can have a strong impact! Sometimes, you’ll hardly notice its effects, but when the range of degrees where it backtracks connects to your chart strongly, you’ll definitely feel its influence. The most intense effect occurs at the degree where Mercury appears to stop to change direction, called the “station.” For about a week centering on the date of the directional change, Mercury remains nearly motionless in that degree. [Check if any Mercury station degrees hit your chart using the Janet’s Plan-its “On a Page” bar graphs.]

The time frame for Mercury’s discombobulating effects is not just during the three weeks it’s actually moving in reverse. It also includes a period of about 2-1/2 weeks before and afterward as Mercury moves forward through the range of degrees of its retrograde. These are known as the entry and exit “shadow” periods. Actions undertaken in the shadow before the retrograde (entry shadow) often require revision or modification in the retrograde back-up period and in the shadow following the backtrack (exit shadow). When Mercury links to your chart, it makes three “hits” – one before the retrograde, one during and one after. So the overall time frame lasts for about two months altogether, with about two months free and clear between bouts.

Things that occur during a Mercury Retrograde can have a long-lasting impact. One important example that comes to mind is the US presidential election of 2000, which occurred as Mercury stood still ending a Retrograde backtrack. The recount mess during the exit shadow resulted in a Supreme Court ruling decided by one vote that resulted in denying Al Gore his victory. Think of how different our world would be now if we had had an environmentally friendly president at the start of this millennium!

When we take into account the weeks and months before and after a person’s birth, long-term experiences of Mercury Retrograde come into play. The astrological technique called “progressions” correlates the consecutive days after one’s birth with the consecutive years of one’s life, on a day-for-a-year basis. (See “Making Progress – Astrologically” in the Study Booth Articles.) With this forecasting system, if you are both during a Mercury Retrograde, sometime in your first 22 years, you move past its strongest effects, but it still takes another decade-plus to get out of its “shadow.” You could be live through decades when your progressed Mercury goes through the entire cycle of entry shadow, retrograde and exit shadow. If you’re born just after an exit shadow, in your later life you enter a shadow. The only people who avoid any extended period of Mercury Retrograde or its shadows by progression are those born after an exit shadow and who die before the next entry shadow. So chances are, you’ll have to live a while with some influence from a Mercury Retrograde.

The extended, progressed version of the Mercury Retrograde cycle is not easily observable on a day-to-day basis. Long-term trends or projects are where we see it at work. Since it’s an influence inclining us to re-do or go back to something, the progressed Mercury Retrograde is a period to undertake an activity or project you wanted to do before but didn’t get around to, or to complete something that was unfinished. Mercury is associated with the hands, so the Retrograde is a good time to learn something new that’s done with the hands, such as a craft or playing an instrument.

I can say for myself that I have progressed Mercury Retrograde from 2002 to 2022. I always wanted to be a writer and during this time, I created my Janet’s Plan-its calendars and they grew to be quite a detailed and involved annual book. Since they became a lot of work that is only meaningful for a brief period of time (a year), before I finish my retrograde I want to complete a book that won’t “expire.” This is a key reason I decided to forego writing more calendars and focus on other writing and other means of communication. Another thing I attribute to my progressed Mercury Retrograde period is that for the past few years, I’ve noticed I frequently, unconsciously hold my lips closed and retract them inward. For someone who’s been pretty “big-mouthed” most of my life, this is an interesting change!

If you want to learn about your natal and progressed Mercury, you can look in an ephemeris to see what was going on in the months before and after your birth and compare Mercury Retrograde station degrees to your natal chart. In a full general reading, I always look at that for a client, or it can easily be covered in a mini-reading with me. (Contact me and we’ll set something up.) We’ll discuss how you can “live with Mercury Retrograde.”

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