Mercury Retrograde in Virgo 2016 by Lalia Wilson

Mercury goes retrograde early Tuesday morning, September 30^th, 2016. (By “going retrograde” I’m referring to the phenomenon of its appearance of traveling backwards as viewed from the Earth, our home planet. Mercury’s travel is always forward when viewed from the Sun.) Mercury’s position on the 30^th is at the last degree of Virgo. Mercury stations direct, that is it appears to stop and then move forward as seen from Earth, near midnight of September 21 and 22 for American viewers. This direct station is at the 15^th degree of Virgo.

                Many students of astrology fear Mercury retrograde. After all, everything goes wrong, doesn’t it? But there are other and more positive ways to look at Mercury retrograde. In general, Mercury retrograde is a perfect time to do things over. Anything that needs a fresh do-over should be on your chore list for the coming Mercury retrograde. You can wait for something to break down, to call itself to your attention, or you can be pro-active and possibly avoid any breakdowns. In particular, what house of your chart is the one in which Mercury is retrograde? That house is the place to look for a Mercury retrograde project so that you can maximize the energy of Mercury retrograde. Here are some ideas:

First House: Redo your look, if Venus is obliging. Select humble colors for wardrobe and make-up. Buy work clothes—not fashion statement clothes, some items that are useful for dirty chores, leather work gloves, and other utilitarian items.

Second House: Examine your income. Perhaps it is time to go on one of the websites that shows salaries for your field so that you can see if your pay is commensurate with that of your peers. Look to see what you need to do to raise your salary and begin taking actions.

Third House: Is your vehicle up to date on needed service and repairs? You take your chances when you don’t tackle these items in a timely matter. Schedule repairs and service, if you haven’t already done so.  Catch up with your correspondence, your address book, your siblings and your neighbors. Time has gone by and perhaps you have been out of touch. Now is the time to get current on what is happening.

Fourth House: It’s time for household repairs. A major renovation needs some Pluto and some Venus energy, but fixing squeaky doors, and other minor fixes are all Mercury. Go through the inside and outside of your home and get those chores done! You will prevent future problems down the road.

Fifth House: Organize all your art and other creative projects. It’s a good time to finish a lot of these. Any project that you don’t finish now, be sure to organize it and put it away so that the project is not scattered over your living space or your work space. Quilters and knitters, know that I’m speaking to you.

Sixth House: It’s time to organize your medical records and health regimen.  Do you have your health records centralized and organized so that you know what information to give your health professionals? Are you following medical advice regarding diet, exercise and other health practices? If not, now is the time to fix this.

Seventh House: Maybe it is time to have an audit of all your significant relationships. Are you receiving as much as you are giving? Are you giving as much as you are receiving? Mercury is telling us to balance relationships so that we avoid future problems.

Eighth House: It is time to look at budgets, tax matters, and investment income. If you don’t keep a close eye on these matters, it is time to at least do a semi-annual review (the other review is when you are facing a tax deadline). How well are your investments doing? Where are you spending your money? Do you need to make a change?

Ninth House: It is time to look at your philosophical and religious life. What inspires you? Are you happy with your current religion? Do you need to alter your beliefs? Take some time to reflect on what inspires you and let that become more a part of your life. This could be foreign travel, the ocean, meditation… Spend the time to reflect on this and make needed changes. You will be happier with the result.

Tenth House: Are you pleased with your reputation? How are you known to others? What can you do to align the real you with how you appear to the world? This may be a time to ask others how they see you and to absorb those comments without immediately responding. Get feedback from a number of different sources to discover what the message for you might be.

Eleventh House: Are your friendships and associations providing clarity and happiness to you? If not, why not? Are there friendships or memberships that you need to let lapse? What friendships and organizations uplift you? How can you receive more positives from them?

Twelfth House: What have your dreams been telling you? Don’t know? It’s time to start, or return to, a dream journal. Get yourself a journal and make regular dated entries. Dreams speak a symbolic language that is most easily interpreted by the dreamer. Sometimes it takes months of dreams and journaling in order to see the themes that are being pushed forward by your subconscious. Now is the time to do this.

                Please get back to me with more ideas for good projects for each house when Mercury is retrograde. I’m always looking for good ideas! Lalia W at aol dot com.