Mysterious Magic
By
Sarah Varcas
Mercury stations retrograde at 5:15 p.m. UT on 28th April in the 24th degree of Taurus. Forming an alignment with Uranus, Eris, Chiron and the Moon, this passage of Mercury promises to expose truths, reveal missing puzzle pieces and offer what we need to rebalance mind and spirit. In Taurus, Mercury seeks certainty and fact, preferring to avoid the more ephemeral world of fantasy and imagination. It favours clear communication and the expression of thoughts and feelings that have taken time to percolate through the many levels of being before articulation. If life has been somewhat puzzling of late, throwing up questions and queries we’ve struggled to address satisfactorily, this passage of Mercury retrograde offers hope in the form of new information, opportunities thus far overlooked and some good old fashioned common sense to ground insights.
Mercury’s about-turn means we now have five planets retrograde (Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto), three in earth signs and two in fire. This distinctive heavenly signature speaks of a time to ground inspiration by turning within to nourish and nurture our most treasured dreams. It affirms we can safely take our foot off life’s accelerator for a while and allow our soul to whisper encouragement in the quiet of our own hearts. Life is not always about activity and action, being seen to be doing and achieving on the outer plane. That is part of the human realm, yes, but so is turning within to connect with the pulse of being that flows through us every second of every day: awake or asleep, in love, in pain or in the supermarket! The cosmos currently supports those who seek the silence of inner enquiry and the heartbeat of the divine, ever rhythmic at their core.
Of course, life itself is busy I know. Schedules must be maintained, responsibilities met, work done, bills paid and mouths fed. Few of us can simply switch all that off and go on retreat for the next three weeks (But if you can, do it!! There’s rarely been a better time!). Instead we can be sure to set aside time for quiet reflection and gentle repose. Time to cherish our own company and embrace all our thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams and fears as a mother does her new born child, with a heart replete with love and a mind ablaze with the wonder of what is now to come.
There may be a few surprises in the coming weeks. We may discover that thing we thought we wanted doesn’t look so attractive after all; that plan we’ve been sweating to implement looks tarnished in the light of inner revelation. Even our greatest achievement upon which we have built so much begins to look decidedly more ball and chain than a passport to fulfilment. So be it. What we see now, whatever it is and however it looks, reveals itself for a reason and does so imbued with the creative power of a world forever unfolding before our very eyes. The awesome mystery of life is ours to embrace. What we think we know with such certainty may simply be an illusion, whilst those hopes we dismissed as mere Walter Mittyish imaginings suddenly become real. Be open, as much as is possible now. Open to everything, all possibilities, for the cosmos is an infinite place filled with wonders we have yet even to suspect may be there.
This is no ordinary passage of Mercury retrograde and there is magic in the air. On 9th May an occultation of Mercury occurs, when it crosses the face of the Sun. Such an event occurs only about fourteen times in a century, the last one being in November 2006. Mercury, planet of the mind, will be hyper-charged by the power of the Sun, our very life force. Forget any doom and gloom Mercury retrograde scare-mongering! Any chaos of this time is profoundly creative and filled with potential. This transit of Mercury supports manifestation at a material level and will imbue our thoughts and speech with great power. As we speak so it shall be, so speak well and clearly, with clarity of intention. As we think so shall life unfold, so honour your highest potential, not a diminished and disempowered self-view.
During this retrograde passage of Mercury, who delights in keeping us on our cosmic toes, we may discover that fulfilment lies not in pursuing long held dreams but in building new ones; not in being who we thought we wanted to be, but in being who we are right now. Only then will we find out what actually happens next and the part we have to play in its unfolding…
Sarah Varcas