Mercury in Pisces Retrograde

Venus went direct last week, but now it is Mercury‘s turn to be retrograde.  DO NOT PANIC.   Mercury entered the sign of Pisces on January 31^st and stationed retrograde in 3 degrees of Pisces on February 6^th.  But it won’t stay in Pisces for the entire Mercury retrograde transit; it will slip back into the sign of Aquarius on February 12, 2014, station direct at 18 degrees of Aquarius on February 28^th, move back into Pisces on March 17, 2014 and emerge from its shadow at 3 degrees of Pisces on March 21, 2014.  If you feel like Mercury has been retrograde for awhile, you may have been feeling the effects since Mercury entered its shadow period on January 23^rd at 18 degrees of Aquarius.

Mercury in Pisces is considered to be in the sign of its fall because mental energy doesn’t work well here.  Thoughts can be intuitive and reflective, but they can also be incorrect and depressing.  Mercury in Pisces will also be trining the north node in Scorpio and for Scorpios like me, this will facilitate the process of the heart opening and healing. This theme was reinforced by Jupiter in Cancer trining Chiron in Pisces. Mercury in Pisces is also forming a conjunction with Neptune in Pisces from February 5-8, 2014. This is an extremely psychic and sensitive transit which can be accompanied by vivid dreams, fantasies and a general desire to escape the real world.  I can certainly relate to this because Mercury is conjunct Neptune in my natal chart in the 1^st house.  It is an out of sign conjunction, with Neptune in Libra conjunct my ascendant and Mercury in Scorpio. This aspect contributes to my intuitive ability and my extreme sensitivity.

During this Mercury retrograde transit, Mercury’s entry into the sign of Aquarius on February 12^th will bring more logical thinking.  It will be an excellent time to review and reflect on past issues.  And when Mercury re-enters Pisces on March 17, 2014, we can navigate between the two worlds of the rational and intuitive that reside in our soul.

Mercury retrograde’s benefit can be to make us more aware of behavior patterns by being more mindful of them when they arise.  And trust me, Mercury retrograde has a way of bringing people, situations and patterns back for review.  This is a fabulous opportunity to drag out that journal.  I came across a really inspiring site on how to make the most of this Mercury retrograde by retracing steps and balancing karma at:

http://empoweringastrology.com/self-development-and-ritual-for-february-2014

How is Mercury in Pisces impacting me?  Well, like many people, I was shocked and saddened to hear about the death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman on February 2, 2014.  Addiction is a very personal issue for me; I lost a brother to alcoholism and many people that I have known over the years have struggled with addiction.

I heard the news on Twitter and followed many astrologers who wrote about what was going on in his chart on the day of his death.  Many said that his time of birth was unknown, but I found a time of 2:39 a.m.to accompany his July 23, 1967 birthdate in Fairport, NY on Astro-Databank.  This gave him a Cancer sun in 29 degrees, a Gemini ascendant in 17 degrees and a moon in 20 degrees of Aquarius.  The Gemini ascendant made perfect sense to me because he was so versatile and really had the ability to connect with the characters he portrayed.   I read that on the day of his death, transiting Pluto in Capricorn opposed his natal Mercury in 12 degrees of Cancer.  Transiting Pluto also squared his natal Saturn in Aries and this must have contributed to intense strain and the feeling that the foundations of his life were collapsing.  Transiting Saturn was also conjunct his natal Neptune in Scorpio in the fourth house, which represents beginnings and endings in life.  Additionally, transiting Mercury in Pisces was transiting his 10^th house, making his death a very public event and also trined his south node in Scorpio. This transit of Mercury to the south node put the focus on insecurities and allowed old mental habits and patterns of communication to continue even when they were negative in character. There was a tendency to become mentally stagnant and bound by the inertia of mental preconceptions.  Transiting Uranus in Aries was conjuncting his natal Saturn, making his death such a shock.

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s chart indicated a great deal of sensitive water placements in addition to his sun: his south node was in 2 degrees of Scorpio conjunct his Mars in 1 degree of Scorpio, his Neptune was in 21 degrees of Scorpio and his Chiron was in 29 degrees of Pisces.  That wide trine between Neptune and Chiron may have predisposed him to a tendency for craving substances, but it also allowed him to live in a fantasy world and contributed to his acting talent.  The exact trine between his sun and Chiron probably manifested as a wounded sense of self. 

Last summer I began working with the Black Moon and I couldn’t resist looking at Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Black Moon to see where his shadow and deepest fear lie.  The Black Moon reveals our personal shadow side, the primary fear that blocks and undermines us in life, and the fundamental way we judge ourselves and others.  It really represents our own personal saboteur.  He had the Black Moon in the sign of Aries, and that shadow’s theme is success.  His greatest fear was unworthiness and he may have had a tendency to unfairly compare himself to others.  I read that Philip Seymour Hoffman had a tendency to wake up in the middle of the night with anxiety over his work in films, feeling that his performances were inadequate.  That is the shadow side of Black Moon in Aries.

I also looked at his progressed chart on the day of his death.  His progressed moon was in Scorpio in the 4^th house conjunct his south node and Mars in Scorpio.  This transit triggered intense emotion and brought him into contact with the darker side of life and the ultimate change in residence. Transiting Chiron in Pisces was also opposing his progressed sun in 14 degrees of Virgo which signifies contact with the soul.

Let’s hope that the message of Mercury’s transit through Pisces at the time of his death encourages others struggling with addiction to get the help they need.

On a lighter note, Valentine’s Day and a Full Moon in dramatic, romantic Leo is approaching and I would like to remind you of my special Valentine’ Day promotion for the first two weeks in February.   I am offering a 20% discount on my Composite Couples, Healing Your Love Karma and Black Moon Lilith Shadow reports. You will need to contact me directly by email at lindasim54@gmail.com or call me at 617-304-2205 to receive this special discount.

Please go to this link to learn more about this special offer:

http://phoenixscorpio.blogspot.com/p/valentines-day-promotion_30.html