Retrogrades and Reflections - Are These Times Weird Enough For You?

by Robert Wilkinson

Things have seemed just a little weirder than usual lately. By lately, yes I include the recent Mercury Retrograde period, which created quite a few misunderstandings and strange chain reactions that no doubt will have consequences down the road, probably both in the immediate future as Mercury continues to square Mars and oppose Neptune, but also farther along, like November, since Mercury will again go retrograde and the Scorpio emphasis will fill in the present Fixed T-square void point.

If all this seems obscure, it's really not. In my own life, the retrograde brought back some old friends and acquaintences, as well as unwelcome confusions that probably will affect some old relationships that went off on some pretty strange tangents. Of course, there were the usual dropped communications, cell phone calls that never rang for me and others even though they ring every other time, and people talking past each other. There was also some old business that had to be taken care of regarding sound equipment that hasn't worked right since it was replaced, and some friends finally got tired of the never-ending 60-cycle hum and asked me to take care of it, which involves me dusting off PA skills I haven't used in 25 years. That's certainly a retrograde thang.

Add to this the ongoing Mercury square Mars, and it's definitely getting stranger and stranger. Haven't we all been more than a little edgy? It sure seems like everyone I know, and even those I don't know, have been "pressed to the nines," as it is said. I have witnessed more strange driving behavior these past three weeks, with lots of unexpected turns from middle lanes, u-turns in the middle of intersections, and people darting out from odd angles as though they had some kind of conscious or unconscious need to get hit. The retrograde square to Mars was Saturday August 13, Mercury is stationary direct today, and will continue to square Mars through August 26, so be more than a little careful these next 2 weeks. Avoid quarrels, impulsiveness, and argumentative people. When driving keep your wits about you, and show detachment and focus on the big picture when confronted with people melting down in a variety of ways.

The Mars in Taurus is showing up in many as a stubborn selfishness and/or inflexibility, and a determination to have it their way, regardless of how destructive the consequences. I saw childish "paybacks" between people, as well as usually mature, educated adults behave like children who suffer from terminal me-me-me "itis." Since Mars will occupy all three decans through February 2006, hopefully it will stabilize into simple, pleasant, predictable activity, without all the strangeness of the current affliction.

Of course, the sequence of T-squares and the Grand Cross of the next 5 months will force some changes, whether we want them or not, and Taurus does not give ground graciously. In this respect, those who are manifesting the negative qualities of the Mars in Taurus are about to become VERY unhappy campers, since Saturn, Jupiter, and Neptune all "trump" Mars, as they are planets outside the orbit of Mars. It is said that the farther out the planet, the more powerful the influence. Probably true to some extent, though I prefer to regard them as significating "spheres of influence," some overlapping, some separate. Mars MUST adapt when squared by Saturn or opposed by Jupiter, and nothing can resist Neptune's subtle but far-reaching influence, which dissolves things over time.

Speaking of the outer triad of invisible planets representing "forces beyond our control," the past retrograde period also gave us a Venus square Pluto, which seemed to clobber many people with unexpected weirdness from friends and even those not so close. You can find more about this aspect by going to the Mercury square Mars link above. I saw compulsions and avoidances show their bizarre face, and some very fixed attitudes, opinions, and feelings that went nowhere except into downward spirals, with nothing resolved and a lot of toxicity displayed. It certainly seems like the end for some things and relationships, and the generic level of uncertainty is so high that it seems like no one really knows what's up. Of course that's not really true, even if you feel like it. Some things are not merely opinions, but a person of knowledge will never convince a person in their ignorance of the truth of anything.

As I once heard, "one must study to know, know to understand, understand to judge." I suppose this would mean that if we realize we don't understand a thing, it's best to study the thing or the dynamic in order to understand. Then we can figure out what works and what doesn't. So heads up, everyone. The retrograde's over, the square persists, and better aspects in the near future promise substantial progress, if we just find the right point of view about what's working, what isn't, what of the past is over, and what of the future actually will offer us more peace, prosperity, and a sense of well-being, rather than an ever-increasing fear of poverty, aliens, or whatever.

© Copyright 2006 Robert Wilkinson. Last update: 8/27/2006; 10:54:16 AM.