By
Sarah Varcas
Conjunct Pluto as it stations retrograde in Capricorn, this is an incisive Mercury with little patience for subjectivity, or sensitivity for that matter! We may be disappointed if we want life to go gently with our feelings as the year closes, for there are more potent agendas at work, in service of truth-telling and revelation no matter the cost. This Mercury wants to squeeze the last drops of wisdom out of 2016 before the new year begins, and won’t let anything be swept beneath the carpet for a more convenient time. In the spirit of effective closure and resolution of unfinished business, this is an important time to clear the air and face up to whatever in our life has become undeniable.
It has been an explosive year, what with the Uranus/Eris conjunction and the Saturn/Neptune square. The personal and collective shadow is being purged. Brought to light for all to see, it has at times triggered panic and despair alongside strengthened commitment to forge new paths and a deepening of faith in our ability to both endure and transform. We are immersed in this process now, and will be for quite some time. We are nowhere near out of the woods. Far from it. And this melting pot of sometimes traumatic change cannot be escaped. Renewal of our commitment to a radical realignment with a more vibrant, courageous and heart-centred existence will become increasingly vital in the months ahead. Meanwhile, Mercury insists that we face up to the truths of our lives, the secrets we guard and the shame we feel but deny. It deplores artifice and rejects pretence. This Mercury seeks only the straight-up truth which it insists we honour with every breath.
Doing so may not come naturally, but the more deeply we embrace unpalatable truths the freer we become. It’s okay to not be the person we want to be or have insisted we are. It’s alright to be flawed, messed up, an emotional wreck barely getting by! At this juncture it’s not what we are that matters, but how honest we are about it. If we present a face to the world which isn’t as real as it could be, obscuring aspects of our nature we’d prefer to deny, this Mercury retrograde could see our true face exposed for all to see. If, however, we can simply let go and accept this is me, warts and all, like it or lump it and take me as you find me, we may just discover that the rejection we feared is replaced with love and support, acceptance and deepening respect.
Above all, it is now vital to remember the more candid we can be about our own truth, the less others will have to hide. What we do for one we do for all, and the more people who add honesty and authenticity to the collective soup, the easier it becomes for us all to do the same. We are none of us perfect in egoic eyes, and yet all are precious gems through the eyes of love. The more we can love our own flaws and failings, quirks, foibles and idiosyncrasies the easier it becomes to accept those of others and see beyond the charade of who we pretend to be.
There is much to be done in the coming year. Great challenges lie ahead and we are nowhere near done with this shadow revelation. But we can each contribute to a more tolerant and progressive world by dropping our own pretence, embracing the truth of who we are and daring to share it with those around us, knowing that doing so helps them do the same. What we endeavour to hide will be unceremoniously revealed; where we aim to deceive, we will fail; what we pretend, will be exposed as a lie. On this we can absolutely rely as Mercury and Pluto do their work deep within the fabric of our lives. But truth, authenticity, honesty and good natured humour – even in the face of our greatest challenges – will all contribute to an atmosphere of acceptance, support and love, allowing compassion to rise like a bubble and dissolve even the most well-crafted and deep-rooted lie.
Click here for more information about life during Mercury retrograde.
Sarah Varcas
astro-awakenings.co.uk