The Last Stage of the Mercury Cycle

* Currently we are in the very last days of Mercury’s cycle with the Sun. In order to understand exactly what that means, let’s refresh on Mercury’s cycle.

* First, the cycle of Mercury is traditionally thought to begin when Mercury (the faster moving planet) makes its conjunction to the Sun through forward/direct motion through the zodiac. The conjunction is thought of as the birth phase of the cycle. From this point Mercury moves out in front of the Sun in zodiacal order, and during this first stage of life Mercury is still invisible and weak under the beams of the Sun…I like to think of it like the vulnerability of a young child or plant that is still growing and vulnerable. Then, Mercury becomes visible as the evening star and eventually reaches its maximum distance from the Sun before stationing and turning retrograde. This turning point is often talked about by astrologers as the shift from childhood to adolescence or youth to young adulthood. Mercury then moves retrograde back toward the Sun and eventually becomes invisible and weak again (combust) under its beams. This is sometimes compared to a kind of mid-life crisis transition. As Mercury retrogrades it eventually conjoins the Sun (cazimi) and is revitalized. Mercury then continues its retrograde behind the Sun in zodiacal order and gradually starts to emerge and gain power and light. Eventually it becomes the morning star. This entire phase is linked to mid-life or late middle life. Finally Mercury will turn direct again, reach its maximum distance from the Sun once more and then start moving forward again toward the Sun. From this stage up until the next combustion and conjunction, Mercury is in late life or old age. As Mercury approaches its final conjunction with the Sun and falls under its beams again its is compared to the sickness or frailty of old age and death. The conjunction thus symbolizes both death and rebirth.

* This is why in yesterday’s horoscope I wrote, “Mercury ruled things are undergoing an important death/rebirth moment.” Right now, Mercury is badly combust the Sun and thus very weak, which means that any and all Mercury ruled things may experience setbacks, weakening, illness, loss or general energetic decline. We can see by close study of all planetary cycles that this is in fact completely normal. It may be a symbolic death, loss, or decline, or as I witnessed in my own life yesterday it can be quite literal. Before I went looking for my dog yesterday I cast a horary chart inquiring into his whereabouts and immediately knew he was in trouble when his signifier was Mercury. He is out of sight/invisible, close to death or perhaps already gone (Mercury combust the Sun). Meanwhile, the Moon was void of course in the house of death, moving toward a sextile with Mercury but not able to complete it before Mercury would change signs and “cross over” into Scorpio. I went looking for him and asked for a sign and saw a great messenger (Mercury) in the form of a black vulture sitting on the green grass outside of a church just down the street. I walked back into the woods and found a dozen more up in the trees and in the distance circling over the train tracks where he had been hit.