Mercury Retrograde December 2017 Harvesting the Lessons of Spirit

Mercury Retrograde is an astrological phenomenon that has become notorious for

missed connections, miscommunications, malfunctioning electronics, travel snafus,
fender benders, etc. Among these seeming drawbacks and headache-inducing
circumstances, however, Mercury Retrograde periods are also a time when
greater awareness and mindfulness are employed, with rich potentials for inner
reflection, slowing down, and resting. The themes that are encouraged now can
be anything beginning with 're,' during this RE-trograde period: Re-organize,
reflect, relax, re-communicate, re-prioritize, rewind, etc. It is a time when it is highly
beneficial to plan on turning inward to pause and take stock of all the tremendous
growth and evolution that has been happening within and all around each of us.
It is generally not a good time to start a brand new project, make impulsive
purchases, or sign a new contract. The astrological thinking is that decisions made
at this time will dramatically alter once Mercury turns direct and especially after
escaping its shadow.

Mercury stations retrograde on December 2nd at 11:34pm (pacific time) at 28

of Sagittarius, conjoined with conservative Saturn, suggesting the slowdown
effect of this retrograde is even more palpable and dramatic, even before the
moment of exact. The Great American Solar Eclipse last summer, on August 21st,
was at 28 of Leo, which therefore remains a sensitive zodiacal degree. Any major
configurations, such as Mercury stationing in trine with this degree, will activate the
themes and lessons we each are working with from that time you may wish to
think back now on what happened for you during and since August
21st. Mercury is in a weakened state in the sign of Sagittarius, and is also out of
bounds when it stations, suggesting that this retrograde period is more
unpredictable than others. This could be reflected in our personal experiences in
the form of reckless thinking, outdated mental patterns running amok, tendencies
to act out, or higher chances for mishaps in commuting or traveling. It may be
wise to employ an extra dose of mindfulness and care when communicating and
getting from here to there.

Nebulous Neptune also has a strong influence in the configurations,

since Mercury makes a nearly exact quintile aspect to Neptune at the time of its
station, as well as there being a trine to Neptune from Jupiter in Scorpio. This
indicates potential trials regarding our ability to be with uncertainty, and a
magnification of how well (or not) weve been adapting to the rapidly changing
times in which we live. Neptune can create a sort of fog where thinking becomes
unclear or confusion arises, and especially in this whopper of a combination with
stationing Mercury and Saturn. This is not a good time to make big, life-changing
decisions, and if confusion does arise the invitation is to be accepting of and
present with yourself and your situation just as it is. Neptune also brings in the
spiritual dimension, asking us to apply loving awareness to the places inside of
ourselves that needs it most, and to see the miraculous and divine in everything
even the swirl of discomfort or confusion.

We have a very interesting dynamic emerging between Mercury and Saturn as

the retrograde progresses. Saturn is traveling through the final degrees
of Sagittarius, after having spent the last three or so years there, signaling a
wrapping up of the themes brought about by Saturn in Sagittarius. Some of
these themes include bringing more focus to learning, conducting ourselves more
responsibly in terms of our beliefs and spirituality/religion, feeling stifled or less
able to expand as freely, or learning how to explore within appropriate
boundaries. Saturn will then move into the sign of his own of rulership, Capricorn,
on December 19th, where the environment is much more conducive for his serious
and productive nature. Mercury is not at his best in Sagittarius, and since it begins
with Saturn and then travels backwards from 28 all the way to 13 Sagittarius,
this invites us to look back at the more challenging Saturn in Sagittarius themes that
have been cropping up in our life since late 2014. What have you learned about
your relationship to spirituality, beliefs, religion, or dogma? What lesson have you
received about the themes of responsibility versus free-wheeling? Commitment
versus keeping your options open? Following your head versus following your
heart? Have you found ways to synthesize seeming opposites into useful actions
and ways of being in your life? You may wish to look at your own chart and
examine where Sagittarius falls in your natal chart, and what planetary
placements you have there. (If you like, you can see your birth chart with a free
membership here.) This retrograde is an opportunity to pause and take inventory
and harvest the lessons that really resonate and work for you, and also to allow
that which is not helpful to gently be released and fall away.

Important dates:

December 2nd, 11:34pm PST: Mercury Stations Retrograde at 28 Sagittarius

December 3rd, Full Moon in Gemini: The Moon is opposite the Sun in Sagittarius,
and in almost exact aspect to Neptune and Jupiter, bringing learning
opportunities around to the themes of logic versus faith, knowing versus uncertainty,
the mind versus the heart.

December 6, Mercury conjunct Saturn is exact: Stop. Look. Listen. Remember you
cant force the river

December 10, Mercury trine Uranus in Aries: Expect the unexpected, or lessons
coming in unusual ways..
December 12, Mercury conjunct the Sun: This is an important day in the
retrograde journey. Look for inner revelations, and surprising realizations.
December 15, Mercury conjunct Venus: The mind seeks comfort in knowledge.
The heart seeks comfort in connection.

December 19, Saturn enters Capricorn: A new ~3 year phases emerges,

where Saturn is at home. Themes include healthy boundaries, personal
responsibility, ambition, and manifesting ideas into reality.

December 22, 5:51pm PST: Mercury Stations direct at 13 Sagittarius and thus
we are at one of the peak moments of the retrograde cycle. Things will still take
some time to really sort themselves out.

January 10, 2018: Mercury escapes its retrograde shadow, signaling the
completion of the Mercury Retrograde cycle.