Mercury Retrograde + More

Namaste from the motherland!

Mother India has had her own plans for me – I came, completed my mission in Tirupati earlier this month, and then decided to go my own way… Well, I did, briefly, however due some unforeseen events, and wayward journey’s I’m now passing through Delhi, completely unplanned.. . And I am very ok with that!

One marked thing that I always notice when I come to India is the profound kindness I experience – in small things and small ways –giving up of seats at the chai stall, the conversations on the long distance train journey’s, the extra piece of fruit or food, paying for me regardless; so many things! There have been some hiccups and interesting situations, and yet the whole series of events have all worked out in their own unique way, with helping hands and beautiful smiles at every junction.

For that, I am immensely grateful!

So, What is happening in the skies at the moment?

The planets are all strong at the moment – Venus is currently exalted in Pisces, Mars is in friend’s sign, Jupiter and Saturn are in their own signs.
Things have been pretty cruisey for a while – its been good time to start new things, close old chapters, get things in order – make plans, let changes happen.
In short – make hay while the sun shines!!

It won’t be until early May that we will start to feel things slowing down and reversing, the brakes and in between that is the upcoming mercury retrograde occurring from 16/17 Feb – 15/16 March. (North + South hemisphere)

Key dates over Feb:

3 feb – 28 Feb Venus exalted in Pisces
16/17 Feb – 15 /16 March – Mercury retrograde
23 Feb New moon in Aquarius – Separate blog for this
18 / 19 Feb – Moon hemmed between Ketu + Mars.
25 Feb – Mars Ketu @ war – exact conjunction : 11 degrees Sagitarius.

Venus is happy in her exalted sign! What does it mean? The compassionate and sympathetic vibration of Pisces resonates with the planet of divine love – In the Vedas, It was shukracharya (Venus) who agreed to take on Shani (Saturn) as a student, and teach him secrets of immortality – Venus is a guru in their own right, teaching everyone without discrimination. Such is the essence of compassion and devotion.
It is a good time for Bhakti Yoga – it means creating a union (yoga) between what you do and how you do it. Are you doing something nice to get something back? Or are you doing it for the joy of doing? For the joy of giving? To create positive karma (action) in the world, do, without being attached to the outcome. This is a lovely time to tune into

16/17 Feb – 15 /16March – Mercury retrograde

Good ol’ mercury retrograde – Just when everything is flowing, suddenly there is a spanner in the works. Sure, we can blame mercurius for fiddling around, however, us humans need to be reminded that very little is in our control …
It is always advised not to make travel plans on or around these dates, and here, I have needed to due to circumstance, so I will experiment/experience how the energies unfold! Sometimes we just need to live our lives and allow our plans to reshuffle, to be late, to be left standing, to scratch our heads and revel in the divine comedy. Sure, its not always funny, and yet, things always unfold in their own time, regardless of how much we will, or wish it to happen. Yet, for some, for many, barely a glitch happens… It depends on your inner mercury.

Mercury first stations in Aquarius (sign ruled by Saturn) from the 14th until the 20th when it begins to retrograde. When planets station, they appear to standstill. Their effects tend to be stronger as they are brighter in the sky.
Saturn is strong in Capricorn at the moment, and Mercury & Saturn are friendly toward each other, overall I would expect this retrograde to not be too challenging. Saturn likes structure and order, especially now he is in Capricorn.
Aquarius is the eccentric and humanitarian side of Saturn; Mercury retrograding in this sign may lead to some fresh insights, eurekas!, aha moments and even some breakthroughs in some situation. There is always another way to look at things!
This is a good time to restructure your thinking around things.

Retrograde times are good to re assess, re-do, re-visit, re-mind – stop and perhaps re-consider?
Contemplation is always a good thing, and this world is in desperate need of people who will reflect upon themselves, their thoughts, emotions and actions, and the long term consequences.

Mercury retrograde typically indicates a time period in which mishaps and misadventures may occur more frequently, or freakishly, in fields such as communications, organising, scheduling, travels, autocorrect disasters and emails that mysteriously disappear into cyberspace. Back up your devices, double check contracts before signing. It’s a time to triple check your schedules; practice patience and flexibility.

Watch for vague and unclear boundaries. There is a saying that says the greatest distance between two people is mis-understanding. Conflict, as a natural part of life, has a marvellous function of leveraging us from our own rigidities, by inviting us to see things from a different point of view. The degree of mental flexibility you have will reflect in your ability to adapt to the hiccups that occur during the retrograde period. Remember, rejection is a redirection. Being too attached to outcomes often lead to disappointments…

Personally, I often find that Mercury retrograde increases creative thinking and writing (since I like to think and write) – it is a good time for creative people or anyone who likes to think in different, non-linear ways.

18 / 19 Feb – Moon hemmed between Ketu + Mars

This is a day which can feel emotionally charged as the moon (mind) is unsupported here, in between to volatile and firey planets, in the fire sign of Sagg, with its ruler Jupiter, also in Sag. Its all happening! Take some deep breaths and … probably just walk away.. far a way, just for a little while. Don’t get involved. However, if you have to, remember just ‘cos a fire is burning, doesn’t mean you need to fan the flames. Sometimes the harsh truth isn’t always effective in every situation. Take care of other people’s feelings today – Including your own.

25 Feb Mars Ketu @ war – exact conjunction exact 11 deg Sag.

This day, any situations that have been simmering are likely to boil over, so again, take care. Things don’t need to get heated or messy – self awareness goes a long way in conflict management. As my teacher Komilla always says, it is not what is happening, but how you choose to deal with it.

Something may need a sudden jolt to move, sometimes anger needs to be expressed to get out of a dangerous situation – however be aware of mindless anger and petty annoyances – it isn’t worth it today, the next few days, or really ever. “A moment of patience in a moment of anger can save a thousand moments of regret”.
Regardless, this day may prove to catalyse a few frustrating moments, especially if your moon or ascendant is Scorpio or Aries, so head to the ocean or stay cool however you can – we can watch the drama unfold in the political arena instead of our homes.

The key essence to this potent energetic combination is really about getting to the roots of our pain, personal and collective – The constellation of Mula is being strongly activated right now, so it really is a profound opportunity to discover the roots of things, on all levels.

Mula connects to the Muladhara Chakra – the diety, Nirriti, is the destructive form of KaliMa- who encourages us to sever all our false selves, illusions, masks, walls and pretences. This constellation is ruled by Ketu, and he is on home turf. For those who have moon or ascendant or other personal planets between 0°-13°20′ min of Sag, this can be a disorienting time, where many old habits, people, situations, emotions may be visiting. It can feel dissociative and unsettling. This time will pass, allow this process of transformation to happen, Kali’s fire of purification.

So often we suffer because we do not know how to acknowledge and express our truths. Especially the tender ones. Sometimes we feel hurt but then we end up hurting others unintentionally because we cannot bear it in ourselves anymore.

Expressing your hurt wont necessarily result in the other person receiving what you say, or giving you want you want or need, but it will free you from the weight of unexpressed emotion. We need to express our truths, especially emotional ones, even when it may not be accepted, because that is about our loyalty to ourselves first. To connect with the roots of our anger is a key of peace, because it means we are choosing not to be hurtful or shut down when we feel hurt. When triggered, there is always an opportunity to dig deep – remember, in the wise words of Ralph Blum:

“When in Deep Water, Become a Diver”

Many thanks to all my teachers, especially Komilla Sutton!

Enjoy the rest of the month, and I am open again for consultations and readings – please send me a a message via whats app, or an email!

With love,
Darinka