On August 30, 01:10 AM ET, Mercury left its home sign Virgo and entered Libra. Mercury will be here longer than usual due to its retrograde cycle, starting on September 27 and lasting until October 18. The planet of thought and communication will enter Scorpio on November 5.
During Mercury’s extended stay in Libra, we will seek diplomatic exchanges of opinion and become more aware of the role of politeness and kindness in our conversations. As we listen and learn from each other, we refine our communication and explore different ways of perceiving reality.
Mercury’s Transits: Shifts in Our Mental Orientation to Reality
In Astrology, Mercury is associated with the learning process, the thinking mind, logic, and the left brain. The planet, named after the mythological messenger of the Gods, rules communication, commerce, transportation, and crafts. It reflects our way to make sense of the world and mentally process the information we receive from the environment, reflecting our thinking and communication style. When Mercury changes signs, it corresponds to a shift in our perception of reality, our thinking patterns, and our communication habits.
Mercury in Virgo is analytic, sharp, and focused on details: during this transit, we seek to solve problems efficiently and practically, while a substantial amount of our attention is turned inwards and dedicated to self-analysis. As Mercury enters Libra, we learn from understanding how other people think, speak, and perceive reality.
Mercury enters Libra: Learning through Relationships
Libra represents our endless quest for balance, in particular between the energy invested in ourselves and the energy invested in relationships. One of the characteristics of Mercury’s transit through the sign is an ongoing search for harmony and peace, both in our inner thought processes and in our communication with others.
Relationship matters are likely to be prominent in our minds during the upcoming weeks. While the planet of thought is in Libra, we strive to reconcile opposites, both inwardly and outwardly. Conflict is not appealing for this Mercury, which may sometimes be too accommodating. Opinions and thoughts are exchanged in a diplomatic way, and we strive to solve any disagreement that may occur through negotiation and mediation. We enjoy hearing all sides of a story before forming an opinion and we are not quick to judge, as we naturally try to understand reality from other people’s perspectives.
Mercury square Pluto: Journey through the Subconscious Mind
During its journey through Libra, Mercury will square retrograde Pluto in Capricorn three times. The first exact alignment occurs on September 22, while Mercury is in direct motion. The second one takes place on October 1, shortly after Mercury has stationed retrograde. The last square happens on November 2, when Mercury is direct again.
This cycle of squares brings up information from our subconscious, facilitating psychological and emotionally charged information to surface, potentially leading to a new and deeper awareness of the unconscious patterns and dynamics at play in our relationships. During this time, there might be fear around communication or a feeling of being held back from speaking our truth, controlled, silenced, or censored by people in positions of power and authority.
Mercury square Pluto may reflect verbal confrontations and psychologically charged conversations: the purpose of these alignments is to promote a deeper understanding of ourselves and others. There can be a danger of emotional and psychological manipulation and the temptation to use our mental abilities to gain power over others.
Mercury opposite Chiron & Mercury conjunct Mars
Mercury in Libra opposes Chiron in Aries on September 8, highlighting the possibility of feeling misunderstood and rejected by other people when trying to communicate with them, and difficulties integrating the awareness of each other’s reality. This may trigger old wounds around our worth, and make us question how much space we allow ourselves to get in relationships.
On October 9, Mercury retrograde will join Mars in Libra, inviting us to reassess, review, reevaluate, and reconsider our way to communicate, express our desires, assert ourselves, and ask for our needs to be met by others.
When Mercury stations direct on October 18, it is just one degree away from another exact opposition to Chiron. Themes that first come up during their first alignment will emerge again: we will be encouraged to elaborate on the insights that came up during the retrograde and make conscious decisions with the new information we have gathered.
Mercury trine Saturn and Jupiter in Aquarius
Trines are 120 degree angles: they are aspects of flow and ease that promote a supportive connection between celestial bodies. Mercury will trine Saturn once, on September 5, and Jupiter three times, on September 20, October 4, and November 1. Mercury trine Saturn supports our mental abilities, increases our capacity to focus, and facilitates our ability to speak and think in a structured and clear way.
The cycle of trines between Mercury and Jupiter broadens our minds, promotes learning experiences, and opens different communication channels. These alignments will support encounters with like minds, enhance the importance of teamwork and collaboration, inspire us to reevaluate our role in groups and communities, and whether or not we are truly on the same page with them.
Mercury enters Libra: Deeper Understanding of Self and Others
Mercury’s journey through Libra offers us plenty of opportunities to reflect upon how we communicate and express our needs, opinions, fears, and desires with others, but also how we verbalize them in our own minds. The retrograde timeframe, in particular, calls for a reevaluation of how we relate to other people. It is an invitation to find constructive ways to get our point across, finding common ground, and healthy compromises that represent a positive solution for everyone involved.
Gaining a deeper understanding of how other people think and perceive reality leads to better strategies for communicating with them. This transit allows us to increase our self-knowledge and gain a better understanding of how our minds work through the awareness of others’ mental processes and ideas.
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