Venus Direct, Mercury Retrograde ~ Nov 16, 2018

To everything turn, turn, turn… Two planets change direction, with another planet changing signs on the SAME day! This guarantees a shift in energy and focus. Or a lack thereof. I’ll share in order of appearance.

Last night Mars (action) went from rebellious Aquarius (after 5 months!) into flowy Pisces. This is a dramatic shift into a non-confrontational way of operating that’s intuitively guided. Mars in Pisces is the energy of “wu wei” (pronounced woo way), the Taoist Law of Least Effort or natural action. No struggle or excessive effort. Wow, that’s different.

Mars in Pisces gets a bad rap because Mars is naturally driven, focused and direct. It’s home sign is Aries – fast, first and ready for action! What to do with your “go-go” energy? Sit with it (another good use of Mars in Pisces).

Go within, meditate or get quiet and clear about what you want to create and visualize it. Then take action that’s aligned with your vision, but no pushing or rushing. Intuitive, soft and in the flow. Try it on. It’s a sane way of operating in crazy times – and we’ll be in this energy until 2019.

Venus turns Direct today, opening the door to your revised way of relating to your Self and others, as well as how you handle money and express your creativity, if you have done your work during the Retrograde period.

The recent elections and natural disasters activated a review of all that you hold dear, as things we took for granted felt threatened. What you value is a Venus issue, and it’s an act of Self-love to build your life around what you truly value, rather than what looks good to others.

Check in with yourself. Is your life a reflection of your values and what you treasure? This is a good time to make changes because…

Mercury Retrograde begins today and goes until Dec 5th. Know that your thoughts and attention are best used to review your current setup and to make course corrections that align with your evolving Self and where you feel called to next.

For the record, Mercury Retrograde is a 3-week period when your linear mind is offline and the focus is on your Right Brain – nonlinear, intuitive and feeling. Perfect for spiritual practice, creativity, compassion, empathy and connection to All That is. But not so hot for handling details.

It’s the holiday season, so please be mindful when shopping to save your receipts (returns). If you pack in too many activities or rush around during Mercury Retrograde, it’s a setup for stress. Don’t do it! Give yourself extra time/space and decide consciously whether to accept invitations, rather than mindlessly saying “yes” on autopilot. Sometimes less is more.

Travel is ruled by Mercury: the plans, reservations, ground transportation – and the Retrograde energy can mess things up with miscommunication, misinformation, wrong dates, delays or lost reservations. Double check to be sure.

One more thing. To compound the Mercury Retrograde potential confusion, Mercury (mind) is squaring Neptune (dreams) all week. This is the energy of great poets, but not your tax accountant.

Mercury-Neptune is super-creative, highly intuitive and deeply caring, but it calls you within to contemplate rather than to delineate – and may fuel a craving for nature or solitude to decompress. Or to dream. All good. Or you may enjoy socializing until you hit a wall of overwhelm from other people’s energy – and then need quiet time.

This is a good week to vision where want to go in 2019. Not that you have to know the specifics. If you do, great. If not, go nonlinear and focus on the big picture. Jupiter in Sagittarius activates high ideals and possibilities. Tap into that energy and allow it to inspire you to dream a bigger dream going forward and rise above settling for less that you really want.

Although it’s mid-Nov, the New Year will be here before you know it and it’s a great idea to be proactive by utilizing the dream energy with Pisces and Neptune that’s prominent now.

Remember we wei – no struggle or excessive effort. Do you have faith that things will work out if you operate this way? A lot of personal drives are unconscious – and only through mindfulness can you make deliberate changes. This is a good one to try on.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Namaste.