Mercury in Aries 2012

Maybe I'm biased, but I'm looking forward to having Mercury transiting in Aries from Friday 2nd March (11.40 GMT).  Natally, I have Mercury in Aries, but in the 8th, so the Arian energy rarely gets unleashed without having lots of strings attached.  Luckily, with transiting Uranus in Aries, which conjunct my Mercury, I'm beginning to feel those 'strings' loosening under the pressure of that Arian energy.

In Aries, Mercury is ruled by Mars, which is currently retrograding in Virgo, so the two planets are in mutual reception.  We have a theme of communicating fearlessly - but not bluntly, because let's not forget we have Saturn and Mars in retrograde (Mercury will join the 'Retrograde Party' on 12th March).  Uranus in Aries, though, is likely to inject unconventionality wherever possible, balancing out the 'retrograde quality'.  It is interesting to note that during this period, retrograding Mars will physically be the closest to Earth on 3rd March, as if to say, 'Look at me!  Look at me!  Be assertive, not aggressive!'

Astrologically, there are 2 grand trines on the day when Mercury enters bold Aries.  Both of which contain a retrograde planet: an air/water grand trine with Saturn in Libra, Moon in Gemini, and Neptune-Chiron in Pisces (out-of-sign aspect) and an earth grand trine with Mars in Virgo, Pluto in Capricorn and Jupiter in Taurus.  Each grand trine is like a circuit of positive, enclosed energy.  In the air/water 'circuit', we have Saturn retrograding in Libra linking up to the Moon (the past) and Neptune-Chiron (healing) so the past may be catching-up with us,  either as a fleeting thought or an physical re-encounter, urging us to let something go. In the other earth closed circuit, we have Mars retrograding in Virgo (repeating the 'thoughts and ideas' theme from the other grand trine with the Mercury-ruled Moon).  With Pluto and Jupiter,  again, we have the theme of bringing up something from the past, this time, from the depths of our psyche (Pluto, ruled by Saturn - the other retrograding planet from the air/water grand trine), but instead of being forced to come out into the light, we have Jupiter, gently coaxing the junk out.

Then, moving away from the grand trines, we have Mars (in retrograde) oppose the Sun and Saturn (in retrograde) oppose Venus.  Are you ready to face up to your life mission and re-set your belief system?  External stimuli, in the forms of male authority figures, may challenge your present beliefs and if you have been sitting around, feeling confused, it's time to get up and get moving - even if only mentally, don't let procrastination get the better of you.

Mercury begins its retrograde motion from 12th March.  Mercury retrograde is not just about miscommunications and computers going haywire.  It's a time for us to wake-up from our groggy states and introspect the goings-on in our lives - slow down and look carefully at where you are going.  What needs to stay, what needs to go?  In Aries, the focus is on ourselves.  It is not about being selfish, but about being proud of who we are, being honest with who we are and what we want to achieve in life.  It is about getting in touch with the warrior inside of us.  Be bold.  Be brave.  A turning point will be reached on 21st March, when we have a tight Sun-Mercury conjunction in Aries.  Look out for any messages/insights we may receive around this date.  I'm particularly fond of the work of an intuitive archetypal astrologer, Robert Ohotto, whose interpretation on retrograde cycles are rather insightful and pioneering.  You can find out more about his work and listen to his radio shows on www.ohotto.com.

Timeline of transiting Mercury in Aries:

2nd March - Mercury enters Aries

12th March - Mercury retrograde begins

23rd-24th March - Mercury re-enters Pisces

4th April - Mercury goes direct

17th April - Mercury re-enters Aries

8th May - Mercury leaves Aries

Transiting Mercury in Aries will traverse my 8th and 9th houses, conjunct my Mercury for most of March due to its retrograde motion and will conjunct my Mercury for a second time in the latter half of April, so I will get plenty of opportunities to unleash my thoughts and ideas and not be afraid to speak my mind,  but without being impulsive and hurting others with my words.

Happy Mercury tracking!

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