WHAT DOES MERCURY RETROGRADE MEAN?

Thank you for your timely question Julia.  Mercury just went retrograde for the 1st time in 2013 early Saturday morning at 4:41 AM, EST.  It will be retrograde until St. Patrick’s Day, March 17 at 4:03 PM, EDST.  It goes retrograde approximately 3 times a year.  In 2013 it goes retrograde on June 26 and forward on July 20, and the third time on October 21 and forward on November 10.

Retrograde is from the Latin which means to step backwards.  According to Webster’s fine dictionary: “retrograde” means moving or tending backward.  In Astrology it means having a direction of motion opposite to that of the earth or of the planets around the sun.   It refers to only an apparent backward motion of all the planets in their orbits.  It is due to the different speeds of the planets in relation to our position on the Earth.  It is similar to two airplanes of two different speeds passing each other in the air.  A jet would make a single engine Cessna look like it was going backward.

The Sun and Moon NEVER GO RETROGRADE.  Therefore the people born with their Sun in Cancer or Leo will never have the ruler of their Sun Sign going retrograde.  This is a bit of an advantage.

From ancient times Mercury was called the “Messenger” of the Gods.  He is NOT the one who creates the message, just the one who delivers it.  So when it looks like he is going backwards in motion many messages on planet Earth tend to come through garbled.   It will affect all forms of the written and spoken words.  For example the choosing of a new Pope will be unusually difficult.

Mercury is the ruler of Gemini and Virgo so anyone who has their natal Sun in those two Signs are usually more affected by Mercury retrograde than others.  They may feel like their mind is muddled without any use of drugs. If you Moon, Ascendant, or Midheaven is in either of those two Signs you will also be affected.  Your health should be watched if your Ascendant is in Gemini or Virgo. Your career should we approached with extra care if your Midheaven is in either of those two Signs.  Read and re-read any e-mail you send at work.  Do nothing in haste in regard to words. 

Mercury rules the mind, communications, the lungs and intestines, all forms of travel: car, bicycle, train, plane, and ship and much more.  Since Mercury is currently going retrograde in the Zodiac sign of Pisces which is water, there will be more accidents with shipping and/or bridges in the next three weeks.  Snow and ice are actually H2O so be prepared!  Troublemaker Saturn is in Scorpio which is fixed water, read that as ice.

It is best if you can avoid doing the following in the next three weeks.  Don’t start new projects, review old ones and make adjustments. Don’t sign contracts because there will often be hidden flaws.  If you do sign it most likely will need to be renegotiated after Mercury goes forward.  It is not a time to open a new business that deals with deliveries, trucks, fleets of cars or planes.  If you can avoid it don’t buy electrical equipment or cars or trucks.  Congress will have difficulty.  They will not meet their deadline.  X-rays will often be misread.  Ironically, the symbol for retrograde is very similar to the symbol for a prescription drug.  If you need the drug go for it, but far too many prescription drugs do harm to your body or the wrong prescription is ordered. Yes, the Doctors do actually make mistakes!  Your body is alive and natural.  It did not come from a test tube so what comes out of a test tube very often is toxic to your body.

Expect delays in all forms of travel the next 3 weeks. Don’t travel unless it is just necessary for your job.  While traveling be extra alert for the unexpected.  Decisions made during the next three weeks will often have to be adjusted once Mercury goes direct.

I would also not recommend you get married because that is a legal agreement.  Venus also goes retrograde but not as often as Mercury.  When Venue is retrograde it is NOT A TIME TO FALL IN LOVE OR GET MARRIED.  But that is a topic for another blog.

The following is a list of some things that are USEFUL or GOOD to do while Mercury is going retrograde.  It is a good time for meditation, dreaming, and wishing what you would like to change in your life.  The time for action is after Mercury goes direct.  It is a good time to proof read your past actions.  It is a time to sort and pitch what is just clutter in your life.  That may even include some people or jobs!  It is good to reflect on your past endeavors and take stock if the outcome was worth your effort in time and/or money or a pound of flesh!  Maybe a new direction is warranted. Wait to implement any new plans after Mercury is forward in motion. 

Many thanks to Julia!

Some Knights Are Better Than Others!

I would like my readers to know that I am a Western Astrologer.  There are five other major studies of Astrology, Arabian, Chinese, Judaic, Tibetan and Vedic.  I have twice studied Vedic at the urging of friends.  There were various reasons I stayed with Western Astrology but the main one was it ignores the three outer planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.   When any of these three come to a conjunction by transit in your natal chart you will have a most interesting time. I do believe if the practitioner is competent in any of these forms of Astrology they can help you understand yourself.

It should be obvious to most that we live in a dual world.  On this planet  you will fine positive and negative, yang and yin, male and female, Sun and Moon, Mars and Venus, light and dark, day and night.  Many more examples are possible.  It should also be obvious to most that each human is born with both male and female traits.  I have never seen a chart for a male who did not have a Venus and a Moon in it.  And in all of the charts I did for females there was always a Mars and Sun.  Mars and Sun are concerned with action, power, and aggression. Venus and Moon are concerned with your values, idea of beauty, nurturing and preserving live.

People seek partnerships for many different reasons, some conscious and some unconscious.  The more you are consciously aware of what you want in a partner the more likely you will find it.  Some are addicted to excitement while others desire harmony in their relationships.  Deceit is rampant in our world but the most dangerous deceit is when you deceive yourself.  Self deception is bound to bring emotional, mental, and often physical suffering.  Some people are happy with “one night of passion” and others are looking for a lifetime partner.  There are many, many reasons for getting together unfortunately, some admirable and some not so admirable. Sometime these reasons do not lead to happiness for one or both partners.

Understanding and knowing yourself is what astrology is all about. Carl Jung, the Swiss Physiatrist, studied successful marriages by using astrology and discovered that the most happy couples were found when the Sun of the husband was conjunct the Moon in the woman’s chart.  The next happiest couples were when the Moon in the Man’s chart was conjunct the Sun in the woman’s chart.  They were happy but he noted that the woman “wore the pants” or in plain English, she was the dominant partner.  Now this was the last century!  There has been more recent happiness studies that show of married women and men and unmarried women and men, the most happy were in the following order the married man, then the unmarried woman and then the unmarried man and the least happy was the married woman.
That study belies the cartoons of the shotgun in the back of the man and bride in front of the “Preacher or Judge”.  Men benefit from married life while women don’t tend to benefit much from married life.  A married woman’s work load increases while a man’s workload at home decreases.

I strongly recommend that before you call the “Preacher” and make it legal you ought to know some fundamental astrological things about your intended partner.   For easy physical and emotionally happy relationships Mars in the man’s chart should be in easy aspect  by Sign, (conjunction, sextile  and trine) and not necessarily by “degree”, with the Venus in the woman’s chart.  The woman’s Mars should be in easy aspect with Venus in the Man’s chart.  This is very good for sexual compatibility and gratification on the part of both partners because Desires by Mars are easily received by Venus.
Most people probably already realize you can  have sex minutes out of the day, not counting  Viagra!  You actually have to talk to one another if you are living in the same home.  So mental rapport is very desirable in a partner.  It is often more important to a woman than the typical “John Wayne” type male.  If the same easy aspects by Sign, (conjunction, sextile, & trine) not  by degree, are found between the couple’s Mercury there will be mental compatibility.  They will have something to talk about and look forward to doing together in the future which may even be 50 years down the road.  They will tend to have common interests and values.  Mercury rules your mind in Astrology and is neutral.  Mercury does not have a twin or opposite like Sun & Moon, Mars & Venus, Jupiter & Saturn. 

This is why I state in one of the articles on my website that if two people share the same “passion” or “interest” in something before they met, they will often stay together for life. That interest does not include their children.  No doubt it is helpful if both wanted children but children have been known to grow up and move to a very distant city, accidentally or on purpose!  And it is very rare that different generations (every 25 years) like the same music!

It is also very important that the Moon in one chart should be in easy aspect by Sign, and not necessarily by degree, to the Moon in the other person’s chart.  This is because the Moon and it’s aspects in any chart indicate the “habits” of the person.  If the aspects are easy these two people will respond to daily problems in the same way. When habits clash, especially when one partner is insecure, things can quickly blow up into a major problem.  An insecure partner will often try to dictate the dress, diet, or friends of the other partner.  Control freaks are very insecure!
I remember of a dear friend whose parents and the parents of her partner were born in Italy. One was from the north and the other was from the southern part of Italy.  One was raised eating the salad before the meal and the other was raised eating the salad after the meal.  This caused  major arguments in the first years of their marriage.  To an outsider it was just amusing but not so to the couple.  I was lucky enough to meet the parents of the wife and they were both just DELIGHTFUL!  So you can see how important habits can be when two people live in the same abode.

Now if EXCITEMENT is your aim then I would review the above three areas: (sexual relationship=Mars & Venus, mental compatibility= Mercury), and daily habits= Moon) and use the same planets with the aspects that often cause stress or the gnashing of teeth, (square, opposition, and quincunx).  If you are hocked on excitement and don’t mind irritation in your life then go for it.  But be forewarned, it is the one with Mars, the aggressor, who will go outside the relationship to find a more receptive Venus.  This is usually the male in the partnership and is the major cause of divorce.  Women who stray out of marriage usually have a rather cold partner and are in need of a warming breeze.  Unfortunately they often leap before they look and end up needing their lawyer’s services again.  There is a common saying that you should keep the phone number of your lawyer if you marry before two years after the divorce of a spouse.  This is because  you may have  a problem with relationships in general.  If you did not look within and address your problems then you may have a new face beside you but you still have the same old problems.  You really can’t run away from yourself no matter how far you travel.

I confess that I have been married once.  This was before I even knew astrology existed.  I read the newspaper daily in those college days but to my knowledge it didn’t have a “Horror-scope” column.  The information presented in this article would have been very useful.  In 18 years of marriage I was never once asked “Where I would like to vacation?”   That was just one minor problem.  Once you taste freedom, like chocolate, it is very hard to not crave it.  I often say to get a laugh, “I was married once, now I just lease.”  A magnet on my refrigerator says, “My secret fantasy is having two men, one for cooking and one for cleaning!” - make that an Italian for cooking and a Dane for cleaning!
Actually if a fellow who could cook came my way with two Birman kittens in one hand and a computer driven 10 inch telescope in the other hand I just might follow him anywhere!!!
Wishing you much Love, Happiness and a bit of Fun everyday!
Joy Archer

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY TO ALL LOVERS!

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day which is a day that celebrates love. It starts with the exchange of Valentines in grade school and hopefully extends to all who still have a pulse. Your heart is meant to love and by loving someone you can avoid heart medical troubles.  The difference between Love and Lust is stated in one of my articles on my web site. 

“Love wants to give and Lust wants to get!!”

“Love is often gentle, desire is always a rage!!!

Too many of those creatures from Mars are only interested in getting! The men in the Industrial World on planet earth often love things instead of living sentient beings.  This outlook on life leads to lots of heart problems!

Manly Palmer Hall of the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles listed the hierarchy of Love as follows with number 1 as the most important.
1.     Love of a Supreme Creator
2.     Love of Wisdom and Truth (Very little truth available so aim for wisdom)
3.     Love of Good
4.     Love of Beauty
5.     Love of Friend for Friend
6.     Love of Parent for Child
7.     Love of Man and Women
Manly Hall also said:
1.     If the focus of your attention is on the physical you are a materialist
2.     If the focus of your attention is on the lower emotional nature you are an emotionalist.3.     If the focus of your attention is on the higher emotional nature you are an esthete.
4.     If the focus of your attention is on the lower mental nature you are an intellectual.5.     If the focus of your attention is on the higher mental nature you are a philosopher.6.     If the focus of your attention is on the spiritual nature you or a mystic or an occultist. (Big difference between these two.)       
So take your pick.What is most important it to Love! You cannot force another to love you.  You can only decide to love. 

Now back to Venus, the planet of Love, Love, Love!
The placement of Venus in your natal chart by Sign and House and the aspects that it makes to other planets will reveal what and how you love. 
Romance, which is the main focus on Valentine ’s Day, is revealed in the 5^th house of your natal chart and the conditions of your first marriage is found in the 7^th house.  If you are fond of the marriage ceremony and such celebrations your 2^nd marriage is found in the 9^th house.  And if you are really brave, the 3^rd marriage is found in the 11^th house.  If you can’t manage to cook your own food or do your own laundry all further marriages are found by skipping a house going counter-clock around the natal chart. 
Venus Rules the Signs of Taurus and Libra and is very happy if placed in those signs. Venus is Exalted in Pisces, a sign known for its imagination and gentleness.  If Venus is found in the Signs ruled by Mars (Aries and Scorpio) the love life may be a bit rocky because Venus  is in its Detriment.  Venus in Virgo is in its Fall because of the critical outlook found in this sign ruled by Mercury. 

Venus, the second planet nearest the Sun, is the ruler of love, beauty and harmony.  Venus is never more than 2 Signs away from the Sign that hosts the Sun.  Venus can only be 45 degrees from the Sun, a mildly adverse aspect.  Your values are at odds with your inner self when this happens.  It is rarely that far from the Sun.  Venus is called “The Morning Star” and “The Evening Star”.  It was Sacred to the Mayan culture and many Native American Tribes would no wage war when Venus was seen at night in the west right after the sunset.  You must remember Venus is the third brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon and could be seen by the eye without a telescope.

The energy of Venus blends well with the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Jupiter and Neptune.  Conjunction, trines, and sextiles are the best aspects.  Square and Oppositions will create some disappointment in matters of the heart.
Venus in harsh aspect to Jupiter is often a sign of danger of diabetes.  The body will have trouble handling sugars   Venus is very uncomfortable with the energy of Mars, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto.  It is best that there is no aspect from these planets to Venus. 

If Venus is retrograde at birth it is a signal that the person has many lessons to learn about all types of love and relationships.  There was an over emphasis on the self in past lives.  The person must learn to be generous with time, energy, attention, and love.  A Christmas gift of a ledger book is not really that romantic!  

Venus also rules money but that is for another blog.

I would like to tip my hat to the city of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia!
Of all of the Englishmen who came to the “New World” with “land grants” from the English King, only William Penn paid the Native Americans for their land.  In that fine city you will be lucky if you can find “The Night Kitchen Bakery” which is on Germantown Road in the Chestnut Hill area.  I am quite sure they have the world’s most beautiful chefs working there and the most delicious baked products and lunches.  I am quite certain it is a ten Star restaurant!!!!

May Cupid hit a slam dunk tomorrow!!

Happy Chinese Lunar New Year

Early tomorrow morning, 2:20 AM EST will be the New Moon at 21 Aquarius 43.  It will be the beginning of the Year of the Snake for those who follow their lunar calendar.  For those who are aware of Feng Shui, the # 5 will be in the center of the Bagua this year.  The Western world follows a solar calendar but I had such wonderful Chinese friends in the 1960'S and 70's that I might qualify to be half Chinese!  Their wives sure knew how to rattle those pots and pans!

Oddly the Sun and Moon at their conjunction make only two minor 45 degree aspects to Uranus and Pluto.  That is not very auspicious for the coming year.  It will tend to bring more earthquakes than usual.  Neptune, Mars, and Mercury are conjunct in Pisces so there will be explosions on the oceans with shipping and rough typhoons.  This trio of planets are also square Jupiter so that will result in heavy expenses for cleaning up the mess left by typhoons and high waves.  Saturn is trine Mercury and Mars so new better solid beginnings may come out of the troubles.  Saturn is square Venus so money and glamour will be in short supply. 

It is still a time to celebrate and give all your loved ones money in red envelopes.  And if your are very lucky you might be invited to Joann's or Sui's home for dinner.  Now that is LUCKY!!!

Happy Chinese New Year from Joy

1.   Monday, February 4, 2013
How about those "Black Birds!"
Football is not my sport but I delight in the creativity and wit of the commercials.  Being the last of six children I am very familiar with sibling rivalry which was an added touch this year. It is very amusing to me that these oversized burly guys toss around the ancient symbol of the female, the Yoni.
So what did astrology have to do with the outcome? There was a major editor of the Los Angeles Times who lumped astrology as "New Age". It was in a book that tried to disparage anything to do with New Age. Unfortunately for him he just displayed his ignorance of what he wrote. Astrology is found in all ANCIENT civilizations that could write or mark with knots on a string. There certainly is nothing new about it!  It is one of the most ancient systems of science along with cooking with fire. Most people realize that the days of the week are named after the Sun (a star), Moon (a satellite), and the five planets that could be seen by observation. But few may know that the hours of the day and of the night also are named after these heavenly bodies. When the Super bowl 47 started is was on Sun's day and the hour of Mars.  Well Mars in the skies was conjunct Neptune in very early Pisces. The energy of Mars and Neptune really are not comfortable together. Mars is a steam roller and Neptune is regarded as the higher octave of Venus. Neptune was very well expressed by the very clever commercials. Those Ravens were on a roll and seemed it would be another boring game. Then something very unexpected happened, many of the lights went out. I am willing to bet it was deliberate sabotage and liquids had to do with it.
When the game resumed it was the Sun hour of a Sun day and the San Francisco team was energized and turned the game into a real barn burner.  All of the players truly could walk away with dignity but sadly only one team got the trophy. The score was very close. During the first half I went to my computer to obtain the longitude of the two cities the teams. Baltimore is at 39N17'25" and San Francisco is at 37N46'30". It has been the rule for ancient times that the North dominates the South. That is true in all kinds of power and wars. There is not much difference in longitude or final score. Some of the old timers may remember the dominance of Green Bay Packers. May Anchorage, Alaska should field a team!
Also in ancient and even modern times the corner stone of a building was laid in the north-east corner of the planned building. Spain was first in the area known as the United States in Florida and the Southwest. Then France and finally Johnny-come-lately was England. Today the northeast of the USA holds the intellectual capital - Boston, the financial capital - New York, and the political capital- Washington DC. But my hat is off to California because without that Golden State we certainly would not eat as well as we do in the USA.

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Welcome to the Wide World of Astrology

Today is the first day of February, 2013.  The Sun is at 13 Aquarius and the Moon is traveling in the last Decante of Libra therefore both are in Air Signs so you should be coming up with a lot of good ideas today.  Since Jupiter went direct at 6 Gemini on Wednesday it is a rare time of no planets are going retrograde.So I would suggest full steam ahead right after February 10 which is the New Moon at 21 Aquarius and also the Chinese New Year.  Their year number is much larger than our 2013.  A Chinese college student asked his American roommate what he had first hour.  When the roomate responded, "American History" the Chinese buddy commented, "Then you will have only one volume"!
Now I must warn you right away I am known for my humor.  It can be wicked at times so just remember that is better than the very bad it can be at times.  I have no patience with people that you have to flash a sign to them: "Laugh - Joke".  He who laughs last thinks the slowest!
I have noticed over my many years that people who lack a sense of humor often have a very well cultivated wide streak of MEAN!  They are often very pious and busy helping God keep score.  Trust me, God, She doesn't need any help.  When She created man she snapped her finger and said, "I can do better than that!" That last joke got me in trouble with the powers that be at a high school in Oregon.
So I invite you to ask me anything about Astrology that you were afraid to ask.  I will be happy to respond as soon as I figure out how this "Blog" business works. Having been an astrologer in this life for 46 years I sure have a lot to say!
Thanks for stopping in!
Joy Archer