MERCURY RETROGRADE - JAN.21 - FEB 11 ,2015 NEW MOON IN AQUARIUS JAN.20TH

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

Mercury's first retrograde of 2015 starts on January 21st and ends on February 11th. Mercury the planet of the conscious mind will be in Aquarius, the sign that says "I Know". There will be two more Mercury retrograde periods this year and we'll blog about them as they come up. 

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Retrograde Mercury gives us a chance to pause, rethink and redo. This apparent backwards motion of planet Mercury seems to highlight mistakes or make us remember what we forgot to do when Mercury was going forward. Some people fear the retrograde, especially if they are the types of personalities who want to control everything. But the people who've learned to go with the flow don't mind it when things slow down or if they discover something has to be done over again.  What's good about all of it is that we have free will and choice in every matter and we can decide which way we're going to use our time from January 21st to February 11th.  A good way to handle any situation that might come up during the retrograde is to prioritze...what needs to be done first. When talking with a relative last night, it seemed he was in a Mercury retrograde cycle.  I had to remember that sometimes these aspects work days in advance, so I listened carefully to his words. His stepfather had just died, he was worried about his mother, he didn't have a clue about insurance, funerals or burials. In the midst of all this, his car wouldn't start, it was dark so looking for the problem was impossible. He rambled on for minutes and kept saying "I don't know what to do". My suggestion was  to tell him to breathe a deep belly breath. Then I asked him if his Mom (my cousin) was alone. He told me that his wife and other relatives were with her.  So the focus had to be on the car, calling Triple A to tow it to a mechanic.  

Now most of us aren't going to experience major drama while Mercury is retrograde, but if stuff happens it's important to breathe deeply, and to calm down.  It's almost impossible to think clearly when the emotions are out of control.  

WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT MERCURY RETROGRADE?

On the spiritual level Retrograde Mercury is a good time to slow down your thinking and also to pause before you speak or write.  People have a tendency to get into needless arguments or to say something that they shouldn't have said in the moment. So slow your roll and try not to be impulsive when replying to something or someone you don't like. Wait until Mercury goes direct to write the letter or to finally tell someone how you really feel.  If it's important it can wait.  I don't know how this works but I've found that often during retrograde Mercury I run into people I haven't seen in a long while, or hear from them via telephone or email.  I've also experienced being able to do something that I couldn't do previously because of interruptions or delays.  Years ago when our tenant's organization was in court with our landlord I would help them pick a date for trial using my handy astrological calendar. When we needed a delay I'd pick Mercury Retrograde. When we were ready for trial I'd look for a New Moon or Full Moon when Mercury was going direct.  We have to keep in mind that Mercury is retrograde at least 3 to 4 times every year so we might has well use it for our benefit. 

NEW MOON IN AQUARIUS JAN.20, 2015

On January 20th, the day before Mercury goes retrograde, the Sun and Moon will both be in Aquarius, thus the New Moon. While New Moons are good times to start things, we'll have to keep this one in perspective because there might be a change of mind or a changing situation that interrupts our plans.  Talk about the need to go with the flow? This is a time to exercise patience with yourself and/or others as we tighten our flexibility muscles. Case in point...I had planned to start training again in the water and carefully went over the items in my swim bag so that everything was in place. Today I got a letter from the Y stating "sorry swimmers, the pool will be closed for repairs starting the 21st. The letter didn't tell me when the pool would be open again, so I breathed deeply and said to myself "oh well, just have to wait".  The Conscious Mind teased me with negative thoughts..."their maintenance sucks" "it's probably because all those kids or seniors keep peeing in the pool"  "why am I just now getting this letter?" I finally silenced the monkey mind by saying out loud "cancel, cancel" "none of this shall bother me".  After calming down the thought occurred to me that I could always swim at the local college, or in my community, or join the Masters Swim Club again.  After all, if I was really serious about training the Masters Swim Club, with two swim coaches was the place to be.There you have it, I've vowed to start something new on the New Moon, but I didn't know how new it was going to be.  It's all good according to the cosmic plan.

NEW YORK CITY

People living in the city should be aware of what's happening on the cosmic level in New York City's astrological chart. Not to be fearful, but to stay tuned in and conscious when moving around in the city.  For one thing, Pluto, planet of transformation or degeneration is hovering over Mercury in Capricorn in the 3rd House of communications, public transportation and community. We all are aware that the infrastructure has been continually breaking down and we've been constantly inundated with media messages about New York being on a terrorist watch, and more recently demonstrations regarding police murders...so don't walk around with your ears plugged up, but watch your step and above all Keep the Light Around You. The New Moon  and Mercury retrograde in Aquarius brings up group karma, as Aquarius represents all of humanity and large groups of people from all walks of life.  These Aquarius planets will be moving through the 5th House that rules entertainment, creativity,love and children.  So be aware, stayed tuned in and walk in the Light.  If your intuition tells you not to do something, listen. If the feelings are not there for you to attend a gala event, an entertainment gathering, listen.  In the meantime, you can use your spiritual powers to spread peace and joy and keep loved ones in the Light.  Hopefully the only thing that will happen this time will be that Broadway goes dark, or a power outage,or delays with buses or subways...something that inconveniences people causing delays and short tempers.  

Happy Birthday Martin Luther King we celebrate your loving passion and work to bring equality and justice to all of us.  Love, Light and Peace, Ayesha