MOVING ONWARD AND UPWARD !!!

Mercury completed its first retrograde journey for 2012 yesterday, 4/4, and stationed back into direct motion at 6:11 AM EDT - do I hear a BIG SIGH OF RELIEF out there ??? ... time to ease back into the forward swing of things on all levels ... over the next few days to the next few weeks or even months, there may be some "a-ha" lights coming on in regard to decisions made during the retrograde period from 3/12 through yesterday 4/4 and possibly as far back as 2/27 when Mercury entered its shadow point - the point where it would come out of the retrograde journey yesterday which was at 23 degrees of Pisces ... or did issues and complications or questioning arise in regards to things done during the last retrograde period from 11/23-24 through December 13th ??? ... or maybe even as far back as the retrograde period from 8/2 - 8/26 ???

The recurring question we may find ourselves asking is "WHY" ??????? ...What actions did you take or were taken against you that you may now be regretting or simply wondering why you chose to do or were the victim of that particular course of action, and why didn't you or the other person wait a little longer or are simply now trying to figure out why it happened ???? .... did you make any major purchases - homes, cars, electronics - that now don't seem like the best thought out course of action ??? ... there could be problems regarding any purchases made with anything where electrical energy and/or computers were involved .... relationships may have come to an end - some needed to and others may have jumped the gun and you are now wondering, or will be, why did I do that or end things at this point ... and how many of you got married - oopsie !!! ... all of these scenarios are possible as the energy of a Mercury retrograde is one where communications and mental energy is going "backwards" ...

Mercury began its retrograde journey in Aries so were there any issues concerning making new starts ... it was NOT the time to make vast sweeping changes - especially as Aries is ruled by Mars which is currently retrograde in the sign of Virgo which is ruled by Mercury ... get the picture ??? ... rather one should have kept an eye open for possibilities that could prove more satisfying once the energy returned back to direct motion ...

While Mercury was retrograding through Aries to begin with, were there any issues regarding your personality, natural disposition, your individuality, the way you express yourself, the way you want others to see you, the way others actually see you, the way in which you package and market yourself, your physical body, your health, issues from early childhood years not dealt with, your approach to life, your worldly outlook, your appearance, as well as the beginnings of all new enterprises ... Since Aries is ruled by Mars, were there issues in regards to your assertiveness, competitiveness, surgery and operations, accidents, inflammations, cuts, burns, violence and anger management issues ...  How about when Mercury was last retrograde in Aries March/April of 2011 … think back and see if you can remember what was going on in your life … did anything resurface this time ???

Then on March 23rd, the focus shifted somewhat as Mercury returned to the sign of Pisces for the completion of its retrograde journey ... did anyone begin to rethink old habit patterns and how they emotionally respond to life’s challenges ... As Pisces is ruled by Neptune the planet of illusion, delusion, the spiritual and enlightenment, did our minds to become distracted either by constant confusion and misunderstandings, already a given in a Mercury retrograde, or strongly drawn to our intuitive abilities and the pursuit of the "ideal" ... as Pisces, whose planetary ruler is Neptune, naturally rules the 12th house, were there issues regarding dealing with your inner strengths and weaknesses; endings on some level of our lives; places of confinement - jails, hospitals or mental institutions; the desire to withdraw to places of solitude so we could quietly reflect on life and where you are heading; your frustrations; inner consciousness and the subconscious mind; charitable endeavors; was anyone  inspired having an aptitude for art, music, dancing or writing; or maybe perhaps had to deal with actions that could ultimately result on your own self-undoing ???

And lets not forget health issues in general as Mercury naturally rules the 6th house of Health and combined with the Mars retrograde in Virgo, the sign ruling the 6th house of Health which is also ruled by Mercury ... I personally experienced them and knew quite a few people who had to have abdominal surgery or very bad respiratory problems and problems with the lungs in general !!! 

Now there may be a few instances where nothing really major happened but rather only minor annoyances ... those born roughly between March 12th and March 28th may have been impacted in some special way as Retrograde Mercury passed backwards over their natal Sun placement ... Gemini and Virgo born your first period of review and reflection for 2012 has concluded - time to start busting a move once again which you like to do anyway don't you  ??? .... also, anyone making new beginnings and signing contracts during the retrograde period may find they do not not pan out in the end as the energy simply won't be supported or something important may have been overlooked ... new jobs begun or accepted during the retrograde period may not prove to be what they were supposed to be or completely fall apart down the road ...

Mercury turned direct yesterday at 23 degrees of Pisces and will complete its transit through the sign of Pisces on April 16th... below is a reminder of what the energy of the transit of Mercury through Pisces may produce :

With Mercury in Pisces the thinking and communicating will be greatly influenced by and through our emotions as Pisces is a water sign, so the mind and tongue will tend to be sensitive and intuitive with a large dose of compassion thrown in ... one will often express their intelligence sympathetically ... if one feels safe they can be talkative and very sociable, but if not they will clam up rather fast ... this energy gives one a poetic expression or ones language may be lovely and engaging ... communication here is made idealistically, imaginatively or perhaps evasively ... frequently one can make communications with other people on a non-verbal level, and one may be psychically or spiritually tuned in ... one can uplift others through their thinking and/or communicating ... often there is a wonderfully creative imagination and beauty can be created with either the mind or with ones hands ... interests are usually geared toward areas that are inspirational such as art, nature or the spirit ... one could be inclined towards fantasy, evasion, avoidance or denial if what is perceived does not match ones inner ideals ... the phrase "what if ???" may frequently cloud the reasoning process with this energy ... overall, one can be quite flexible in their thinking, have a wholistic approach, or even have a natural talent for synthesizing and seeing the whole of any situation ... sometimes the energy of Mercury in Pisces can produce the image of the absentminded professor ... one must also take extra care here as Pisces, which is ruled by Neptune the planet of illusion and escapism, can lure one to escape "mental" reality through drugs and alcohol !!!

The essence of Mercury in Pisces is thinking through accepting ... the poetic mind ... the dreamer of dreams ... the mind is very sensitive under this energy and it can absorb as much information as, if not more than, it learns ... sometimes thoughts and notions will appear to have come from "somewhere else" which will cause doubt in their truth and thus eventually lead to a form of mental exhaustion as a result of resisting cerebral sensitivity and reasoning ... even though this is more the mind of the poet rather than the technician, one is still able to "dream up" both scientific and artistic visions ... here the mind thinks in pictures and one can richly profit by drawing from ones dream life ... it is highly suggested to keep a dream journal - you may be surprised how creatively and divinely inspiring your dreams become!!! ... with Mercury in Pisces there is the ability to be in touch mentally with the Collective Unconscious and navigate the vast sea of all the thoughts and feelings that ever were or ever will be ... it is wise to accept and to understand the channel-like quality of ones mind here and to always give expression to what is coming through ... the energy of Mercury in Pisces can be expressed the following ways:

POSITIVE: imaginative, sensitive mind, visually aware, artistic, obliging, psychic, good instincts, receptive, humorous, versatile, good mimic, highly perceptive, philosophical, dreamer, good long-term memory, accepting, refined mind, contemplative, gentle, sympathetic

NEGATIVE: suspicious, evasive, easily freaked out, lazy, easily swayed, irrational, fearful, gullible, obscure, vague, uncommunicative, absent-minded, bad short-term memory, elusive, weak-minded, slow, wimpish, at a loss for words, seeing things

Mercury in Pisces encourages one to know that what one lacks in knowledge one makes up for in understanding - so take your time ... you have the power to choose what you take "on board" and its up to you to discover how to use it ... use your imagination in a creative fashion instead of becoming a victim of it !!!

Mercury remains in direct motion until July 14th - the beginning of its second retrograde journey for 2012 which will take place completely in the sign of Leo !!! ... and while there is certainly cause for celebration now that Mercury has stationed back into direct motion, we must remember that Mars is still retrograde until April 13th, and yet another personal planet, Venus, is set to begin its retrograde journey for 2012 on May 15th ... SIGH/GROAN/SIGH/GROAN, etc. ... Mercury will return to full speed and exit the retrograde zone on April 23rd when it reaches 6 degrees of Aries which is where it began its retrograde journey this time ... but for now, it is time to begin cautiously once again to start moving onward and upward !!!