Playful Thinking

...On the final phase of this Mercury Cycle

“Cadeceus in safe hands” by me, not thee ai

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”

— Plato

As is usually the case, it’s wild to think we are encroaching on the end of yet another Mercury cycle. So fast, so interesting. This one began back on March 24th (5 Aries). These cycles always begin with the retrograde when Mercury passes between Earth and Sun for its cazmi celebration. Having begun in the first decan of Aries, and looking back at the mundane events that transpired since, it has been nothing short of explosive. The tariff fears, ICE, No Kings, and the most current terrifying brink of the next numbered war. It’s been headfirst, heart later, in textbook Cardinal Fire fashion.

This Thursday (26th), Mercury will ingress into Leo, slowly approaching both its pre-shadow degrees (4-15 Leo) and reaching its maximum elongation in the West ( 4th of July; 9 Leo). It’s a time to recollect our thoughts for this current cycle and to prepare our minds for the Big Ideas coming in the next. If Aries was driven by instinct and fight, this next one conjures up playful ideas and helps us remember the best way to navigate all this madness; hint: it has something to do with making art.

As you can see, there is also a sextile to Uranus just before the ingress. With Uranus at his anaretic degree of Taurus, we can assume quite the conclusion of his time here before the decisive movement in Gemini. Next to Pluto, Neptune, and Saturn, this is one of the major ingresses of the year—it’s also one that seems to correlate strongly to the peak of the 4th Turning (that unrelenting demographic prediction model of American Prophecy that seems to also come true more often than not). The sextile offers some interesting sustenance for them both; Mercury gets the unique insight into what is truly most nourishing for us, and Uranus receives the comfortable space provided by Mercury in Cancer to finish the job before moving on. Wherever it’s occurring in our chart, we will likely find a promising sprout of insight into our situation. Best to protect it so we can experience it grow.

Once the ingress occurs for Mercury into Leo, there are a few more interesting aspects to be made over the weekend. On Saturday (28th) there will be two trines: one to Saturn, the other to Neptune—who are both still getting situated in the same early degrees of Aries that this Mercury cycle began in. There will be much our wisened Mercury evening star will be able to convey to the two; tips about how to stay cool and what to do when we lose our center, but most importantly, how to reconnect to the infinite power of our own will. Saturn/Neptune may act as a trinal anchor, assisting Mercury to not forget where this current cycle began.

And then there is an opposition to Pluto on Sunday (29th). It’s the final catharsis before the pre-shadow kicks in the morning after. If we are willing to see it, to actually hold up the mirror, we won’t like what we see, but we must not turn away. The uncomfortable realizations that can emerge with Mercury/Pluto are easy to deny, but it’s not the move. The move is to actually listen to what is being said about our ideas, our communication style, and our inability to actually change. Pluto will temper our tantrums.

Tracking an entire cycle is no easy task. Whether it be Mercury, Venus, or some other planet, they all have their challenges. But with Mercury, what we are always looking for is the Big Idea that tends to lead us for the 117 day period, helping to reshape our thinking and perception of the world. For myself, lots of what I’ve been sharing over the past couple of months around trying to catch the breeze of inspiration again has been the biggest theme, but there are nuances beneath it that are quite personal, yet terribly revealing about the nature of Aries. So the job is to find where it began for you, where it’s been, and what he’s saying now. There is always a theme to be found. Always.

On the final day of June, Mercury will then enter the pre-shadow for the next retrograde—thus, prepping for the next cycle and the next Big Idea to land in the fertile soils of our minds. It will last until the station, which occurs on July 17th. More on that later.

So, essentially, we have but one more week to connect the themes of the Aries cycle deep into our synapses. It takes work, and it’s worth it. Questions to ask: What was the Big Idea for this cycle? What were you learning? What books did you read? How are they all connected? And how do they relate to that area of your chart? Just a few questions that are good to ask when trying to track his backward steps.

Best of luck. And if you need any help, I’m here for ya (see below):

• One of my most adored offerings is the Mercury Journey. There is no better time than the present to sign up for such a thing. Have a click to learn more: HERE

onwards,

~adam

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