“To be in anger is impiety;
But who is man that is not angry?”
Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens [III.v.57]
Mercury RX in Aries.
Aries: Mars moves, finally out of Capricorn. That’s good, see, when Mars — the planet most frequently associated with good Aries — was in Capricorn, he created a tension angle. Pushed a few (too many) of the Aries buttons. That’s just Mars, doing what comes naturally. Mars likes to stir the pot, so to speak, makes folks a little itchy. Hard to pin down. Now, Mr. Mercury is heading into apparent retrograde motion, and that’s just one further problem. I’ve lectured at length about Mercury, and his little errant mannerisms. It’s nothing to worry about. The usual warnings are in place. Easiest way to explain that? It’s like the local “wind advisory” warning we get on the area lakes when those March winds come whooshing down on us. Big waves. Not a good time to be on a little fishing boat in the middle of the lake. Now, like Mars and Mercury, though, if I set up on the far side of the lake, with that wind at my back? I can fling a lure damn near to the center of the lake. Not a bad deal, so it’s matter learning how to use what’s going on. Mercury Retrograde, wind advisory on area lakes, all adds up to a little hike to the other side, then I look really good. Put the Mars and Mercury wind at your back.
Taurus: I listen to my clients, and I was listening to client talk about what it was like to have Mercury backwards, and she was parroting back information I’ve handed out for years, all about what to watch out for, what to do, what not to do. Sounded like a long line of “what not to do” instructions. There was a certain lack of emphasis on proactive, positive motion associated mercurial Mercury periods. Stop what you’re doing, my most excellent Taurus friend and think about it. When Mercury goes backwards, you know about all the little pitfalls, the problems, the ups and the downs, the long litany of problematic situations. What’s good about all of this? It’s an excellent time to go back in the morgue, the dead files, the old material that other signs would’ve jettisoned years ago, and what you’re looking for are new concepts. Except, since this is coming out of old files, it’s not really new stuff, although, to a certain extent, it feels like new material. I was digging through some personal archives, and I found some astrology material I’d penned more than a decade ago. I wound up using most that text in a book, too, almost ten years later. See what I mean about mining old stuff? Don’t be afraid to dig into the old files, just to see what’s there. Mercury Retrograde periods aren’t always bad, although, I do have a long suggested list of new things not to try.
Gemini: I have a horrible confession to make. I read the manual. After making such information public, I suppose that I’ll have to turn in my “guy card,” and go sit with the emasculated group over on the bench, the wimps — like myself — who’ve admittedly read the instructions. I suppose there will be much name calling, but just between Gemini and myself, and that silly little Mercury thing, I had to do it. It was late at night, and I’d hit a frustrating point with a project I was working on, this particular software I was using, it wasn’t so very “intuitive.” We can look to the person (or team) who designed the interface and blame them. We can look to the person (or team) who developed the online help file and blame them. It might be possible to blame the company’s website, the publisher, the editor, the service and support, or any one of a number of people; however, the real solution was right there in the shrink-wrap. Packaged up with the software’s CD, there was an item called the “the manual.” Instructions. A long, rather dryly written bit of prose with a nice binding on it. Pristine, white pages, filled with straightforward diagrams and bulleted text. About the first third was about installation, didn’t need any of that, and the last quarter was index, and I didn’t need any of that. But some place between the second third and the last quarter? There was a set of diagrams, computer screen shots, with the information I was looking for. I had been trying to figure out whom to blame, but the real answer to my question was provided in the accompanying documents. Before you get too frustrated, try searching the enclosed documentation for an answer. Worked for me — I just hope you don’t think less of me for admitting that I did it, too.
Cancer: I love listening to folks who don’t have a good hold on precise astrological or astronomical data. It’s always amusing to me. There was a long list of problems to watch out for, and one of the big ones was “don’t travel when Mercury is Retrograde!” I never have understood that one. I travel frequently when Mercury is backwards, but I’m also astrologically aware. Planes, trains and rides? Early, late, rarely on time, and there will be a communication problem wherein I get stranded in some foreign destination, like an airport, for hours on end. I carry a laptop, a palmtop, a cell phone, and most important, a couple of magazines, maybe part of a newspaper, and when Mercury is backwards? Two books. Minimum, two books. One of them has to be a big, fat, pointless, senseless thriller with a lot of action and not much plot to get in the way, and hopefully, not a lot of character development. The laptop’s battery will run down, the palmtop is too small for serious work, and being that Mr. Mercury is going backwards, the cell provider will have a problem with minutes, or local coverage, and I’ll get bored with one of the magazines. But there’s still two good books in my bag of Mercury tricks. I’m suggesting this because Cancer is a lot like the plot — or lack thereof — of one of those thrillers. Lots of action, good fiction, fast pace, and maybe there’s enough to keep you entertained.
Leo: It’s all about preparations. From the moment this scope goes live until Mercury goes backwards is about three days. If it ain’t done in those first three days, best off forgetting about getting it done. I just don’t see you getting a chance to wrap it up. No Leo likes to leave anything hanging, but I’m just suggesting that this isn’t the time to try and finish up that one project you wanted to get done. Your stars just don’t line up the way we’d both like them to. There’s an upside to this mess, and that has to do what you do when this Mercury Retrograde is going on: have some fun. It will probably come at the expense of some other Fire Sign, that would be the lesser two, Aries and Sagittarius. Consider us your comic foils. We’re the ones who are supposed to do the stunt work for Leo, especially now that we’re all looking at this — hopefully — funny Mercury time. You need a good stunt double during the following weeks. Some maneuvers that you might want to try, acts of derring-do and so forth? Leave it to a stunt double. It’s just Mercury and there’s no reason for an unprepared Leo to get in trouble with this one.
Virgo: When it comes to music, I’m a great fan. I appreciate wide variety of genres, not limiting myself to any one brand of music. The various types of music have become so striated, that I get lost in most stores because I can’t tell what the band’s name is (this week) or exactly what kind of music it is. I was thinking about this because I was listening to one CD and it changes tempo, abruptly, in the middle of a certain song. I’m tapping my foot away, there’s a stuttering musical-percussion bit — then the song shifts into a different gear. You’re just rambling along in a good Virgo style, and then, all of a sudden, there’s an abrupt shift. Tempo changes. Beat changes. Bass line changes, and the guitar comes screaming in. Mercury is like that. From soft and lyrical, with most aspects in the Virgo time-frame nice and balanced, well as balanced as they can be, this little shift occurs. It’s a musician’s trick, a way to get your attention and way to move the song’s line ahead. Like a lot of us, though, you’re going to be sitting there, and all of a sudden, as the Musical Mercury shift happens, you’re going to go, “Hey. Hey! Where did that come from?” The beat is changing. Be prepared.
Libra: A buddy of mine has a store. As much as I wish it, the store was more like “Bubba’s Beer, Bait & Ammo,” it is, sadly for me, a furniture store. Sort of high-end, kind of nice stuff, and like a lot local color, a little off-beat. If you’re looking for a couch or one of those free-standing closet things, she’s got them. I’ve been called in a few times to help deliver furniture. I think the requirements for that task is a “strong back and weak mind,” and while that’s halfway true in my case, I spend enough time talking about the relative phase of the moon, or where Jupiter is, and I don’t get called too often. I’m not high on the list of furniture movers. Almost looks like I planned it that way — not that I would. I’d rather be fishing, or doing my other manual labor: writing. Notice how I got around getting my name off the list of folks to call? I talked. A lot. More talk than action. A lot more talk than action. This next couple of weeks? My method of “more talk, less action”? Might not work. Mercury is going to confuse your input and output.
Scorpio: During the next couple of weeks, I’m looking forward to hearing a tale or two from my most excellent Scorpio friends. I hit upon a great idea, too: whenever possible, you’ve got the greatest excuse in the world, “Oh don’t worry, Mercury is Retrograde.” The real problem, though, isn’t really Mr. Mercury, but for the next couple of weeks, it’s Mr. Mars as he slides on into Aquarius. What happens when Mars is at such an angle to Scorpio? Frustrations and confrontations are more likely. It’s a problem. It’s a very Scorpio problem, too, in that your tenacious side really doesn’t want to let go of some problem, and yet, you and I both know, it’s fruitless to keep after this difficulty. Toying, worrying, playing, mucking with it just exacerbates the situation. From what I know — based on observation, hearsay, and third-hand experience — a good Scorpio will grab onto that confrontation and turn a small issue into a larger issue. This is Mr. Mars, and he’s doing this to you. But like I suggested, there’s an easy way out: blame Mercury. It’s convenient, and that will help some.
Sagittarius: A girlfriend was talking about a cat problem she was having. Her darling little boy would occasionally run off. This girlfriend’s vet recommended a Microchip Identification System. They stuck a little microchip under the cat’s skin, and no matter where he turns up, near as I can tell, he can be scanned by any barcode reader, and his identity and history is all available. What a wonderful idea for some cats. A week later, the girlfriend handed me a card from the vet, “Kramer, we set the appointment for next Monday, is that okay?” The playful suggestion was that I was going to get a microchip in the nape of my neck, and that way I could be tracked at all times. Funny girl. Now an ex-girlfriend, too. It was funny at first, then, she had that look in her eyes, and I’m not sure if she was serious or not. The idea of carrying around transmitter, alerting everyone to my location, especially when I’m supposedly out catting around? Not going to happen, and it offends my delicate Sagittarius sensibilities. That one girl, though, she thought this was just the funniest idea, and she loved it. Harped on it for weeks. “But it would be good to use in case you got lost!” was her argument. I have a Zen-like approach to travel: I’m not lost, I’m just where I’m supposed to be instead of where I intended to be. The microchip idea was funny at first, but as the next week starts to unfold, it’s time to leave the running joke alone. First time’s funny, second time’s amusing, third time’s a smile, and the fourth time’s tiring.
Capricorn: I was looking at a magazine I get. It has a cover price of $3.95. I like that magazine, although, at best, it’s hit or miss on what I’ll read. Sometimes, I look at the movie reviews, or there will be a good book review, or sometimes, it’s just the fiction. Or maybe a news article. Occasional, there’s some really insightful analysis of current events. But it’s the price that was bothering me. I get it as steeply discounted subscription, and if I had to pay $3.95 each week, I doubt I would ever bother with that magazine. Except for the times when it had either an engaging article, or if there’s some reason the cover art attracts me. There was one article that I saved because it had something or other about marketing, and I was trying to figure out to apply some the techniques dissected in the pages, figure out how to put that at work for myself. Your attention span is like having a feature-rich magazine to look at. You’re not sure what this week will bring, but there’s something. Plus, as Mars starts to leave, and as Mercury starts to appear to move backwards, there’s time for sitting and leafing through a magazine. I consider it surfing for ideas, only, it’s done while at computer. Shopping for ideas. Magazines, no matter what flavor, are great. Excellent place to shop for ideas.
Aquarius: Getting from here to next Monday is an exercise in quiet time. Then there’s an exercise in not acting like a firestorm. Following that statement a little further, see, about the same time Mercury goes backwards, Mars enters Aquarius, plus there’s the Sun and eventually Venus, all in Aries. Fire Sign. Passionate. Explosive. And you’re inclined to react a little too swift to perceived Mercury problems. In my mind, nothing is worse than going back and having to say, “I was wrong.” By reading this, you understand that Aquarius is infused with all kinds of Aries-flavored energy. Stop. Think about it. Then maybe, just maybe, think a second time. That first reaction? I get paid good money by some clients for my “first reaction” to a question, based on an astrology chart. But this is a case when the “first reaction” might be a little over-the-top. Might be a bit much. Before you rant, rave and holler, realize that you might, just maybe, have to go back when more information becomes available, and apologize. Don’t give into that first reaction. Assess then act. Don’t just react.
Pisces: “What’s the dog’s name?” I asked a comely lass of expected proportions, walking her dog. Her dog was interested in whatever was on the end of the fishing pole, a piece of plastic that’s supposed to resemble a lizard, I guess. “Dog’s name’s Buck.” Which lead to a story about the dog, and right after he was rescued from the pound, he burrowed into the hedges and came back with a dollar bill in his mouth. Big old brute of canine, just about as merry and friendly as can be. “He was like, you know, trying to help pay his way. He was worth a buck, so that became his name.” Not being a dog person myself, I can’t claim that I’ve ever rescued a pound dog and have it come back with burrowed money. However, that dog did set an example, a fine one at that, about how to try and help. Mr. Mercury, as well as the rest of this mess of planets, is all doing something to you. Look for the little signs in what’s going on, not the big signs, but the little signs. Sometimes, something as simple as a burrowed dollar bill in a dog’s mouth is a good indication. Fine critter, that dog. While the single bill didn’t offset the pound’s fees, it was a good omen. Take whatever omens you can, now that Mercury, well, you know the rest.
