Mercury retrogrades are always an important period to pay attention to. It initiates a period of reflection, consolidation, and review. At its best, it gives the world a chance to get their proverbial ducks in a row, and tie up loose ends. The struggle often associated with Mercury moving backwards in the heavens is misunderstandings, transportation issues, accidents, and the general feeling of life slowing to a glacial crawl. For those of you who ready my horoscopes in the Spiral Nature Magazine you’ll know I don’t believe in the fear mongering that’s typically associated with Mercury retrograde. However, this is a very special retrograde that requires a unique analysis of what to expect.
Mercury has been slowing down the last few weeks and on the 5th of March, 2019 it will make an apparent stop in the heavens before it begins moving backwards. It is this “stop”, or as astrologers like to call it, a station, that is of particular interest. Mercury is not standing still in an empty space in the heavens. It will instead make it’s stop in alignment with the fixed star Sheat. Ancient astrologers observed that this star can create floods, shipwrecks, and travel accidents. When it combines with Mercury we are likely to see many accidents, escapes by water, and of course trouble caused through written and verbal communications.
This sets the tone for the entire Mercury retrograde period and does not bode well for much of the planet over the next several weeks. Mercury will station direct on 28th March 2019. However, it will not leave its final retrograde shadow till 16th April 2019. Mercury rules movement, travel, speech, and thought. It is essentially the fan of the zodiac, projecting information outward. As Mercury projects the energy of this fixed star, one dramatic disaster after another is likely. We can expect to see and hear of issues with water, disastrous speeches, and possibly chaos to the travel industry.
Water signs, Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio escape the tension of this fixed star, and instead will benefit from the happier influence Sheat brings, which is mental dexterity and creativity. These signs can take the Sheat that is being projected from Mercury and turn it into productive manure to create something better. Even in the most chaotic periods, an important lesson can be learned. The lesson with Sheat is to plan head, improve security, and have a way out.