This crazy year grinds to a close with Mercury, The Trickster, in charge of Communication, Intelligence, Networks and Information, in the retrograde phase of its cycle. Next year, of course, will start with Mercury still following his own tracks, to see what might have been left undone or gone unnoticed, the first time around, in the early weeks of December. When the world was still reeling from one of the most contentious and unfathomable elections I’ve ever seen, I’m pretty sure there was plenty that slid through the cracks. Shock makes it difficult to concentrate. The mind struggles to grasp anything other than the unfathomable event that it doesn’t know how to categorize, much less accept as the new status quo.
Mercury traveled deep enough into Capricorn, sign of Government, Corporations, and External Authority, to touch base with Pluto, Lord of the Underworld, overseer of Power, Transformation, Sex and Death. Pluto can show Mercury how to get deep; go dark; become serious. Mercury is in charge of the News. Negative Pluto manipulates the News to make it a powerful tool for controlling the masses. Positive Pluto shows Mercury where it lost integrity by having glossed over or downplaying something important because it may have been more expedient in serving an unconscious agenda. The Pluto activation sent Mercury to retrace his steps, looking for cues and clues and missed opportunities to get the whole picture.
One week into the New Year, Mercury is back in Sagittarius, sign of Truth, Beliefs, Foreigners, and Other Cultures, for a few days, at the exact spot the Sun was in when Mercury did its about-face. Now, the Sun, representing the Heart, Life Force and Consciousness, meets Pluto, shedding Light on the Dark Lord’s public and secret agendas.
Mercury turns direct on January 8th, to cover the late degrees of Sagittarius and first half of Capricorn for the third and final time of this retrograde phase. It is not until, the first new moon of 2017, on January 28th, the Aquarius New Moon, that Mercury comes out of the shadow of this retrograde cycle and reaches new territory. Ironically, this time, the new territory is one more activation from Pluto. Heaven only knows how this will all unfold.
Though a new calendar year starts each year, on January 1st, energetically, 2017 is going to take a few weeks to really shift into the fresh promise of its Number 1 numerology. So, I encourage you to make a plan that is flexible enough to morph, as your thinking about your desires for 2017 inevitably will.
January 28th is also Chinese New Year. This one will be the year of the Fire Rooster. 2016 was the year of the Fire Monkey and we all know how dynamic that has been. Still, Roosters are a little less volatile than monkeys, so there is that. We’re not done with the fire yet, but with any luck we have learned enough to be able to use it skillfully, for cooking up something great, rather than continue to play with it and get burned. The fire and chaos of 2016 enabled us to release and purify old patterns, people places and things that no longer serve the greater good in our lives. May we use the fires of 2017 to light up a world that is weary of the death and destruction and create something extraordinary for ourselves and everyone we meet. One person at a time, things change. One creative idea at a time, minds change. One bright light at a time, the darkness gives way to the dark.
And on this sad day of learning of the passing of yet another of our beloveds, Carrie Fisher, may we all remember how precious this life is and the difference one person can and does make. Let’s not waste a moment!
With Love and Gratitude for all of you and all of it,
Jodi
