Mercury back into Taurus with the North Node in Leo | well thought out decisions, plain language that speaks from the heart

monique 4 by MiZH

Mercury first moved into Taurus on March 31st. Then on April 9th, he stationed retrograde and started backtracking. He backtracked from Taurus into Aries until he stationed direct on May 3rd (still in Aries). He has been moving forward since then and today gets back into Taurus. He will start covering totally new ground on Sunday - remember he is still covering ground he walked before April 9th.

(and I'm throwing in all these dates, not to be confusing, but in case they ring any bells - jingle bells, church bells, bicycle bells, doorbells, cowbells, wedding bells - you get the idea)

Just imagine you are walking somewhere and you stop walking. You turn around and begin walking back the way you came. Then after a time you stop again and turn back around and walk forward again - back the way you were going in the first place. You can visualize that you will be covering ground you walked before for awhile until you get back to where you turned around in the first place. Simple, right?

Most people think of Mercury retrograde as the time he is backtracking, but the story is LARGER than that - his journey (inside us) actually takes us over situations and issues 3 times - we go forward, we go backward (doing the "re's") and then forward for one final time after we've had time to re-access, re-examine (whatever the situation calls for) whatever is happening.

This retrograde was in our Taurus/Aries natal houses. So some situation in our Aries house (since he moves into Taurus today and won't return to Aries for almost two years) is finished. 

Maybe it untangled with a bang when Mercury hit Uranus last Tuesday (and we'll know by the end of this week what all that was about!) but we might feel it now. Or maybe we'll feel it this weekend when Mercury finally starts covering new territory.

Now, for some people, with planets and points within the degrees Mercury traveled, this will be a big situation resolving itself in some way. For other people, they won't be able to put their finger on exactly what this has been about for them, but the retrograde has still worked its magic in smaller ways this time (not every retrograde is uber-important for every person).

The tricky part for us is Venus has been working her own retrograde story (within us) in almost the same spaces in our charts at almost the same time - this one involving a love and/or money situation.

The Venus story was about us figuring out what we really value now. It wraps now with our decisions and those decisions carry us into our next chapter.

In the meantime the North Node has shifted into Leo, so it's like the spaces Mercury and Venus come to at the end of their journeys are not the same spaces they left behind when they turned around.

We are all in uncharted territory. Even if our life, from the outside, looks exactly the same as it did back in January, everything has actually shifted because we are not the same people we were then and we are not on the same road anymore. This might sound overly dramatic, but I am actually under-reporting this! 

And we still have Saturn and Jupiter retrograde ...

Anyhoo, back to Mercury. He moves back into grounded Taurus now. This slows down communications and conversations and our thinking. That's OK. Snap decisions will be less snappy.

(snaps are highly over-rated anyway, am I right seamstresses, aren't buttons more practical?)

Those monkeys in our brain will quiet down now if we allow them to - imagine them quietly hanging in a tree, eating their bananas and watching the sunset. Maybe they eat so many bananas they tumble to the ground in a banana coma for the next few weeks - imagine whatever it takes to quiet those chatterers. They will not do us any good now. They are not needed. And don't worry about the little fellows, they will wake up as soon as Mercury moves into fast moving Gemini on June 6th. Until then, they nap.

Mercury in Taurus is the time to mentally recharge our batteries. Practical language will get our point across better than long winded sentences now. 

Here's my original post about this transit, just skip over the retrograde stuff. 

If something from the end of March comes back around now - we are better equipped to deal with it than we were then. We have thought it through. Our decisions can be made from this new grounded space where we are following our heart.

Remember that Leo North Node - communicate from your heart. If it doesn't work for us it doesn't work for anyone else either. xo all

do the right thing | Capricorn Moon

What you’re missing is that the path itself changes you.
 ... Julien Smith, The Flinch

portfolio by aufzehengehen

I didn't get the weekly written yesterday - not with all that "feet on the ottoman, being handfed grapes and fanned with the Sunday paper" style adoration I was receiving for Mother's Day (ahem).

I have a monthly look ahead a few posts back that covers this week a bit if you simply must peek today. And we'll do dailies. This is another big week. It doesn't seem right to just throw something up!

This is the week Venus (in Aries) finally hits new territory - we'll feel it! She is opposing Jupiter (retrograde in Libra) all week. The Sun is still in Taurus. Mercury moves back into Taurus tomorrow. Enjoy the Taurus folks! You don't want to rush it.

For today the Moon is in hardworking Capricorn. It has a closing square to Uranus and is then void tomorrow from approx 6:30AM to 2PM (any Uranus style surprises today won't amount to anything in the long run since they take us to that Void Moon tomorrow - also don't launch anything tomorrow morning that you need to amount to anything).

Today we need to be responsible. Hard work pays off. Keep the focus on goals and career. Do the right thing. Don't expect to be coddled now. Don't count on being let off the hook. Capricorn is ruled by Saturn and he's stone cold sober.

Remember when we were kids and thought Santa was watching us in those days before Christmas - well that's the way to feel about Saturn during each month's Capricorn Moon!

The Capricorn energy could have us dealing with authority figures and stepping into our own authority. The early part of the day is flavored by Gemini - talks, meetings, sales, siblings, transportation, communication, emails. Later on the day is flavored by Pluto - deep emotions, transformation - maybe we just clean that hall closet. Stuff is purged.

xo all - back tomorrow - enjoy your Monday, another rockin' and rollin' week ahead!

Mars Trine Jupiter | no guts, no glory

Mars (in Gemini) trines (brakes off) Jupiter (retrograde in Libra) at 14 degrees.

Trines are easy aspects between planets and points. Things fall into place. Things work together.

Mars (action, independence, courage) trining Jupiter (expansion, luck) is a time when action makes us lucky. With Mars in Gemini and in mutual reception to Mercury (ruler of Gemini) in Aries (ruled by Mars) it could be our words that need to be bold. Humor works, too.

With Jupiter it is easy for things to be exaggerated - to look better than they are - but that's OK. Even if the light at the end of the tunnel is a train (it isn't) we can still use the light to see what's coming and get out of the way. It's the action that creates the win not the situation.

This is stable momentum we can use to move ourselves forward. Remember Jupiter is still retrograde in partnership oriented and balance loving Libra and Gemini offers multiple options and could scatter our energies - we need to focus. There is one best way forward now.

Instead of casting a wider net, we'll be better off spear fishing (and I don't like my analogy so much here, but I think it drives home the point - ouch). Get specific and take action.

Don't be afraid to try something new that is calling to your heart - yesterday's transit is still in play but now we add a little Jupiterian erergy and enthusiasm - "bigger is better" "do I feel lucky?" - action into the mix.

Be confident. We got this thing. xo all

Mars Square Neptune | Mercury Trine Saturn - think things through

full of butterflies by flowerpottt

Today we have Mars (in Gemini) squaring (tension) Neptune (in Pisces). This could feel like a push to take some kind of action that is unclear, that we are apathetic about or that squares our 'dream'.

With Mars in Gemini and Mercury in Aries - mutual reception and strengthening each other - this is the time to question/discuss/think about where all this is going. It's not a good time to let ourselves get "talked into" something. Boundaries can be needed now. Stuff that is hidden will be pushed into the open. Stick to the truth now.

Saturn and Jupiter are both still retrograde. Venus and Mercury are still covering old ground. We could be tired and this square could exacerbate that. Remember the way forward now is Leo. What does your heart say about this (our heart will need a say in all decisions now)?

With Mercury (in Aries) trining (brakes off ) Saturn (retrograde in Sagittarius) - sensible plans and actions move things forward. This transit can help us "say the right thing". It could be a good time to get advice from an older or more experienced person. With Mars and Mercury in mutual reception and that square to Neptune making things foggy this is not the best day to make an important decision unless our head, heart and gut are in agreement. Ask questions. Think things through. Get clearer.

xo all