Mercury’s Gift of Wisdom Between Now and January 27

The third and final phase of Mercury retrograde takes place from January 8-27, 2017.  

Mercury stationed Direct on January 8th. So what are we still talking about Mercury Retrograde for? 

Well, until January 27th, Mercury will still be ‘retracing the same steps’ that it has passed over ONCE forward and ONCE backwards during the last 7 weeks! Now, this is the THIRD and final time that Mercury passes over the same astrological path!

Mercury rules ‘direct action’ and ‘short messages’ so it affects so many things that we rely on daily like travel, commutes, communication, messages sent through technology, automobiles and things we tend to depend on to flow SMOOTHLY. It involves the breakdown of things we tend to take for granted until they are suddenly not working!  Mercury ALSO rules ‘mental activity’ so our thoughts may also be ‘spun out’ or not really processing clearly, especially during the time that Mercury is actually moving backwards from Dec 19 to Jan 8th.

Mercury retrograde is a time to expect the unexpected: the best way to roll with it is to adopt a ‘go with the flow’ attitude as much as possible. In my experience, Mercury retrograde tends to impact us the most exactly during the times when we are bringing ‘extra force’ to get something done or make something happen. It seems like the harder you try, the likelier that the universes forces intervene during Mercury retrograde.

Here are the Key Dates for December 2016/January 2017 (there are 3 distinct phases):

• The 1st Pass FORWARD from Dec 1-19 (1st Shadow Period) 
• The 2nd Pass BACKWARD from Dec 19-Jan 8 (Retrograde) 
• The 3rd Pass FORWARD from Jan 8-27 (2nd Shadow Period)

As of January 8th, and until January 27th, the first two phases have passed and we have entered into the 3rd phase, or 2nd Shadow Period. What this means is that from Jan 8-27 2017, we have the opportunity for ‘a third glance’ at this now familiar ground, this time with Mercury’s energy in forward motion. In the days since Mercury stationed direct and started moving forward, the general feeling of confusion is lifting but it is still not yet a time to rush ahead. There is still a ‘mental fog’ that has to clear.  As with the entire retrograde cycle, this is more a time for reflection, not action.

However it is still a very important time, when the lessons of this entire retrograde cycle can be discovered, giving us the the potential to see things more clearly and draw more accurate conclusions.  

In the grand scheme of things, Mercury retrograde is like an ‘instant replay’ that gives you a chance to take in your experience one more time, a bit more slowly and with more focus. Think about how you see more during an instant replay that you see on TV. How much more can you see when you have that power to take another pass?  It’s an opportunity to gain a slightly different perspective: we notice little details that we may have missed the first time around, or we realize the significance of things that we tend to take for granted. We have the opportunity to get closer to the core of root issues. Mercury wants us to gain wisdom by slowing down and retracing our steps. This energy of ‘discovering new wisdom’ is the energy of the final phase of retrograde.  What a wonderful gift!  

This is a time when we are presented with signs and messages and we gain wisdom when we recognize these messages. Continue to ‘take things slow’ and try not to fill up all of your time so that you have space to accept a new realization.  Feel into and explore whatever comes up.   Let any new reflections marinate in your mind now, and see how they sit with you over the next 2 weeks. Your perspective will gain clarity with each day as we approach January 27th. Remember, this is a time for learning, and learning anything new means that something will also CHANGE! If we embrace change we are ready to evolve and give new ideas space in our lives. When we do this, we fully accept and integrate the lessons of this retrograde!

Mercury during this retrograde phase was in mainly Capricorn, but slipped back into Sagittarius from Jan 4-12, 2017. Mercury Retrograde in Capricorn is a good time for reviewing anything related to goals, business or career.
The last time Mercury was transiting this astrological space was from December 8-19, 2015; the next time will be from January 9-21, 2018.   

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