Mercury enters dreaded Shadow of Rx

Run for the Hills!

Made you look! LOL ;-P

Those who know my work will hopefully understand if I try to get a jump on the so called “shadow” narrative heading in to Mercury’s retrograde. Sorry, but I just don’t find it particularly useful or helpful, and in fact its an outright obfuscation of astronomical reality.

Don’t get me wrong, I do understand that people often experience significant disruptions both before and after the retrograde proper. And its admirable to attempt to make the astrology match people’s experience. However, simpler theories are generally better. And since the biggest changes in Mercury’s actual motion often occur before and after the retrograde, I dont think we need made up shadow zones to explain it. Rather, I think Mercury’s ACTUAL motion should drive any discussion regarding pre or post retrograde experience of change.

The main problem with this idea (that we should rely on actual planetary motion) is that modern astrologers have inherited an incredibly lazy approach to astronomy. Since ephemerides are pre-calculated and astrology software puts everything on the chart for us, and we have hundreds of books, and thousands of “influencers” constantly repeating the same tired talking points -not many people actually bother to do actual astronomy any more.

If we do, we will discover that today IS a very special day for Mercury! (but NOT because of any kind of “shadow”). Rather, Mercury is crossing the ecliptic plane in an upward fashion -also known as the north node, or in latinized terms, the guezahar. This was considered a very potent and important moment in traditional astrology and astral magic.

The original Arabic title of Picatrix is Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm, which translates to "The Goal of the Wise" or "The Aim of the Sage". When we do as instructed, follow the goal of the wise and watch for Mercury’s crossing of the ecliptic, this is what those with the wisdom to do so will see.

In this particular retrograde (and dont be fooled, there are MANY variations!) Mercury crosses the ecliptic and then proceeds upward (that is, it is moving north or increasing in latitude) until right around the retrograde station. In traditional astrology, a planet north and moving northward was seen to be dignified. So, the idea of any pre-retrograde “shadow” could be significantly altered. Similarly, after direct station, Mercury’s path stabilizes and is running relatively parallel to the ecliptic well before reaching the point of the retrograde station. That is, Mercury’s actual motion stabilizes long before it exits the so called post retrograde “shadow” zone. Judging from Mercury’s actual motion, the most volatile time looks to be around the direct station, the first two weeks of April

But because today is the day Mercury is crossing the ecliptic plane moving upward, we may find that we get some sort of preview of what the whole loop may be about. For those want a deeper dive into this subject matter, I recorded a video adventure into nature of retrograde motion, the different kinds of retrogrades, and what it all might mean. Enjoy and happy trails!

If you enjoyed the journey, buying me a coffee keeps the wheels rolling!

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