Mercurial Shape Shifter

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Mercury is our cosmic messenger, our rational intruder, our fanciful drifter, our mercurial shape shifter miraculously translating our every thought from our unconscious to our conscious awareness. Winged heels and helmet propel Mercury forth, no resting for the weary, our thoughts entangled and endlessly forming. Meditation is the practice of observing the mind, and my first experience with meditation was to close my eyes and observe my thoughts forming, dissolving, and forming anew to endlessly drift across the open spaces of my mind like bellowing clouds moving across a crystal clear sky. It didn’t take long for me to realize that my mind is never still; never without a thought. In astrology the planet Mercury is that aspect in ourselves constantly engaged in every aspect of our mental activity, and in the words of a noted astrologer, ” As soon as you open your mouth, Mercury slips out.” *

Today, Mercury left the stable influence of Taurus and inhaling the fresh, spacious breath of Gemini is gliding with the wind promising a whirlwind of social activities, breezy conversations, and an increased appetite for experiencing the unknown. Mercury in Taurus had feet of clay and if we on earth are cleaver we will honor the tenacity learned from Taurus and temper the frivolity of Mercury in Gemini. Mercury sits upon a throne when traveling in Gemini majestically expressing the breadth of our curiosity to know everything in life. The difficulty arises when Gemini is tempted to superficially pollinate our curiosity without a depth of inquiry; there is just to many things to do and people to meet!

When under the influence of Gemini we are the perennial adolescent resentful of having to mature and take responsibility for ourselves. The first aspect Mercury makes in Gemini is a quincunx to Pluto in Capricorn and a square to Saturn in Virgo, suggesting that it is time to assume responsibility for our thoughts and deeds, and if we don’t we could experience forces beyond our control enforcing responsibility upon us. If we are overly worried as suggested by Saturn in Virgo then Mercury in Gemini can offer us the perspective of seeing both sides of any situation and trying to find a middle way. Admittedly, neither Mercury nor Gemini are seeking balance, that is Venus and Libra’s concern, but Mercury in Gemini does give us the objectivity to take a different perspective and see the situation with new eyes, that is, if Mercury in Gemini can stay engaged without loosing interest long enough to reach a satisfied resolve.

Mercury in Gemini bestows an agile mind easily absorbing and assimilating new information which can be a ready asset in times of change, and it seems certain as Mercury stations retrograde at the end of May one thing needing change is our method of communicating ( I will write more on this later in the month ). Mercury in Gemini is a time for opening our minds to new ways of thinking about ourselves and the world. If people are not honoring what we say this is a good time to ask ourselves how patient and sensitive we are to the thoughts and ideas of others. There is always room for improving how we communicate with each other and, at the very least, Mercury in Gemini brings us the gift of curiosity to try something new.

* Adrian Ross Duncan, Astrology Transformation & Empowerment , published by Weiser