Officially it ended two days ago, but just as a retrograde cycle begins to be felt some days before its official astrological start date, so too the effects are lingering on after its finish. Not only has the usual potential for confusion and misunderstanding been upon us, but also challenges to do with power and control, authority and leadership as a result of Leo. It is no coincidence that the Olympics are occurring against this energetic backdrop, a time when competitiveness and prowess are the focus for many in the world, also comparison and judgment – and not just among the competitors.
Remember too that just as the swirls of this touchy Mercury ebb and flow around us still, the Martian energy is mingling with it compounding the sense, for some of fractiousness and obstruction, or of ruthless determination or waves of anger or uncertainty. It has been a time of “I”, not in the sense of spiritual introspection, which is one of the opportunities given by a Mercury retrograde, but of national and often personal self-centredness: this is not necessarily wrong, from time to time, so long as it is balanced by an awakened, compassionate awareness of the wider community. I wonder how far this balance has been achieved?
The next and final Mercury retrograde of 2012 is in November, when it will be governed by Scorpio and Sagittarius. It will be about the New Consciousness – and how interesting a time it will be.]]>
