Today we enter the shadow zone for the upcoming Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn. The shadow zone is the area that Mercury will back up over, so we will hit this area at about 15° Cap three times. What happens today will resonate again Jan 23 during the retrograde, and Jan 29 after Mercury stations direct.

 

This blurb is more to talk about the dates and general vibe, I’ll describe how the retrograde will affect each sign later. We enter the shadow today, right on top of Pluto. Mercury will hit 1° Aquarius on Jan 5, and the retrograde will last until Jan 24, again at 15° Cap conjuct Pluto. Mercury will exit the shadow zone at 2° Aquarius on Feb 16.

 

Mercury is the planet of intellect, communication and some say, media. It shows us how we think, use words and absorb information.

 

Capricorn key words are responsibility, tradition and durability. The Cap association with the 10th house puts a spotlight on public life, career and ambition.

 

My feeling is that this Mercury Rx will have us thinking about the responsibilities we’ve taken on. The Rx’s last year were all in air signs, so it was a lot of talking and dealing with relationships. This Rx, not so much. Well be thinking about foundations for our lives, what has longevity and what has played out its course. We’ll be thinking about work, and whether it’s working for us. Thoughts of how we play our part on the world stage, our image, will be brought to the front.

 

Another element in play is that Mercury will be passing over Pluto, just as it’s conjunct today. Pluto is the planet of deep transformation, phoenix from the ashes and all that. It’s destructive power wants us to tear things down so new things can bloom. It’s a sexy planet, so we might be feeling the natural urges, especially in the horny sign of Cap. Pluto is associated with Hades and Persephone, so power struggles might be present in the areas mentioned above. Mercury is quick and out in the open, Pluto is buried deep in the dark, molten earth. What Mercury unearths might be startling.

 

The Sun will pass over Mercury Rx on Jan 14 and 15, so we might get really aware of all the action going on these days. Things might be pulled to our attention that we hadn’t noticed before.

 

Expect changes this Mercury Rx. Going over Pluto 3x won’t let us escape without leaving something behind. Mercury will be pulling things up from under that we might rather have been left buried. I’m thinking a lot of skeletons will be popping up out of a lot of closets. Roll with it, fighting the transformation will make it harder.

 

Cheers,

 

Will

 

P.s. The houses where the Rx falls will influence your chart differently. Get a reading to find out how!

 

P.p.s. I use THE NEW AMERICAN EPHEMERIS for the 21ST CENTURY by Rique Pottenger, based on the earlier work of Neil F. Michaelson for my astrodates.

 

P.p.p.s. I totally googled the image above, and it was Pinned by Isabel Summers onto Spiritual Astrology on Pinteret. Thanks Isabel!