"I wake up in the morning," he said, "torn between savoring the world and saving it!"
EB White
There are always rampant speculations around what to do about life. It's a big one, I know. Do we try with all our might to change the world and mold it into our ideal or do we try with everything we've got to enjoy the ride? One of these may seem selfish on the surface, yet I'm going to do my best to convince you otherwise with Mercury by my side, a bottle, and a few radical ideas we may want to consider embracing.
As I write this, Mercury is combust—near cazimi—and the synodic cycle is about to reboot. This one ignites in the 3rd decan of Aries, just a few degrees away from Chiron. With all the focus as of late eclipsed by the "you-know-what" and a Mars/Saturn conjunction yesterday, this subtle magic with planet #1 can often be overlooked. Not here. Not in the Dragon Hole! No, no.
The beginning of any Mercury cycle is a time to be claimed by a particular Idea. It may seem vague at first, but once it comes, there is nothing vague about it. As an example, with the last one which began in Capricorn near the Winter Solstice, it was the red heifer and "Racing toward Armageddon" that got me and led me on a 100+ day educational journey on the history of the region, leaving me overwhelmed and understanding a deeper layer of what is happening in the Middle East. By the end of the cycle, I have become exhausted by the subject—even annoyed by the constant speculation about the red heifer ( I am glad the information is getting out there though. It's a crucial piece of the puzzle). And now, we wait for another, like a toad on a stool, patient for the next fly to buzz just close enough.
Because this cycle begins in Aries, we must consider the EB White quote in more depth from above. To savor or to savior, that is the question. For many, it seems like a good idea to glue themselves to a road or a painting of great worth to get the world’s attention about the Idea that has claimed them; for many others, they storm government buildings, troll the internet, or ruin perfectly good dinners by bringing in politics trying the convert the uninitiated to their world-changing idea which has claimed them. There are very few saviors who know how to savor their lives, yet there are many who know how to savor and have zero interest in being saviors. This is a key distinction, and Chiron holds the key.
Chiron has been in Aries since 2018, showing us myriad examples of what happens if you stop the flow of energy (see: Covid, Fed rates, Nordstream, etc.). As a mentor, Chiron helps us to harness the flow of energy in our lives so it doesn’t turn destructive—inwardly or outwardly. And it’s in Aries where we discover the fight in all of us. From the screaming boom of birth to every single time we bump up against a challenge in life, it's this directional fire that must always be on the move. If it's not, it builds heat, then inevitably explodes. So to have an entire Mercury cycle in the wake of a hyped Aries eclipse, it's good practice to consider where this is happening in our own charts, and how it's showing up in our lives. The energy must move. The fire must continue to burn!
The Chandra symbol reads:
ARIES 23
A bottle labeled "drink me."
...what may seem like a prank—especially with him being retrograde—this may actually be the medicine. The issue is in thinking that medicine is the way. The medicine only gets us on our way. We take it along our way. But there could also be booze in that bottle. Any kind of liquid that promises us something we don't think we already have could be in that bottle. The contents of the bottle can cause many troubles. Just ask Chiron what happened after Hercules' uncorked that forbidden bottle in the cave of Pholus. Tragedy is always found at the end. Best to be clear about what we deem medicine, and how to use it responsibly. Whether it be booze, coffee, aya, or some other promising elixir that comes our way, there are hidden dangers to be paranoid of.
To be honest, this is my favorite part of the Mercury cycle. It's always like a book falling from the shelf moment. The Idea comes along to change everything. Whether we pay attention is another matter entirely. It's up to us to know how to listen and to drink from the right bottle. Whatever the Idea is, it's going to help us gain some clarity on where we are at with this whole "savoring" idea. Because if we are hell-bent on saving the world—or somebody else, a field of study, or whatever it is we may think we have the answer to—we may be primed for a moment of reckoning.
Chiron is deeply involved with this cycle, just as he was with the eclipse. The way he teaches is mysterious, yet is always the right kind of medicine we need. If we can trust in the process, we will savor drops that will have a tremendous effect; if we cannot, we just may need to remember our capacity for savoring drops.
Good luck with the Idea. Don't overthink it. Take notes. Stay open. And most importantly: have fun with it! Now that we are in an Aries cycle, the next stop will be spotting him in the morning sky, which is set to occur around the middle of this month. This is when the Idea turns into a fresh stack of books on the nightstand and we slowly witness our minds changing with the information that is coming in. It's like magic.
Facts:
Mercury cazimi: 22º 32' Aries; April 10th/11th
Eudaimonia,
Adam
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Something interesting about Chiron I read recently; genX have him opposing their Pluto Uranus conjunction in Virgo. And activated by transit from Saturn and Mars currently. Health, diet, addiction themes? Seems significant to me that at the end he chose death. Thank you, enjoyed this post!
Thank you for this, Adam. There were some definite lightbulb moments here for me to savor. Curious that savor is just savior without the “I”. Thank you again for the cazimi epiphany!