mercury stands still

daemone est deus inversus ds '09

"But in the unconscious is everything that has been rejected by consciousness, and the more Christian one's consciousness is, the more heathenishly does the unconscious conduct itself, if in the rejected heathenism there are any values that are important for life - if, that is to say, the baby has been thrown out with the bathwater, as so often happens. The unconscious does not isolate or differentiate its objects as consciousness does."

(Carl Jung, Answer to Job, p 100)

mercury-uranus and so long for a while...

Just letting you all know that this site will be unattended for a while, due to unforseen circumstances - I'll be busy moving house among other things... if the site goes down, check again later, I promise I'll be back!

bibliomancy for mercury retrograde in the domain of venus...

"..as she has observed, boys remain boys, boyishness usually resilient into old age. Yet these two and their heirs will not be able to stop themselves filling the world with images of her. From a safe distance, with sweet longing, they will daydream away. In their churches, they will lodge statues of her idealised form, backed by stained-glass windows glistening with Madonna blue, alongside altars in sentimental fidelity to the heart of the human world. Then there will often be some wall - in home of office or gallery - on which hangs a crudely painted or photographed image of a particular woman as instance of her and it will be her eyes, always her eyes, looking out through the blurred and distant face. "

(John Carroll, The Western Dreaming)

for venus and mercury square pluto...

'art class' ds 'o6

"my workshop participants, too, were in touch with their intution - but they assumed that intuition meant clear direction rather than intuitive guidance. They hoped one good intuitive 'hit' would give them the power to reorder their lives in complete harmony and happiness. But intuitive guidance does not mean following a voice to the Promised Land. It means having the self esteem to recognise that the discomfort or confusion that person feels is actually directing him to take charge of his life and make choices that will break him out of stagnation or misery."

(Carolyn Myss, Anatomy of the Spirit)

but wait - there's more.... mercury enters virgo and a free set of steak knives...

'danae and angels' ds '06

"Greek myth has it that the goddess Demeter personally showed the people of Eleusis 'the conduct of her rites and taught them all her mysteries..- awful mysteries which no one may in any way transgress or pry into or utter, for deep awe of the gods checks the voice...we might say, then, that in many traditions the injunction to silence is the speech act by which a particular narrative is made sacred. The rule of silence separates or cuts these stories off from all other stories and makes them special, holy, sacred..."

(Lewis Hyde, Trickster Makes This World)

Just kidding about the steak knives...

bibliomancy for mercury conjunct sun in leo

'say it again, angel' d sinclair '07

"A soulful life is one of thoughtfulness, care, and engagement - you are present in everything you do, not just going through the motions. You give attention to the things that matter most. You take care of your body and your health. You make your home a place of comfort, welcome, and beauty. You educate yourself throughout your life in values and solid ideas. Your leisure time relaxes you, gives you a rich social life, and provides fun and play. Your spirituality is deep as well as visionary, and you incorporate contemplation, discussion, ritual, and prayer into everyday life, and you do all this in a style that suits you as an individual."

(Thomas Moore, A Life at Work, p103)

bibliomancy for mercury direct

'groom' d sinclair '08

"After a long rain, we joyously watch the heavens clear.

The sun and moon grow slowly brighter.

The gloomy days are over, so be happy and joyous.

You will bound through the Dragon Door in one leap."


You have found the hidden treasure. Open the spirit world and enjoy its riches.

(The Kuan Yin Oracle, 100 Poems of the Goddess, Karcher: 20)

Sitting here sipping fennel tea, which is said to have 22 separate healing qualities as well as being sacred to our Trickster friend, its a relief to be almost to the end of Mercury's retrograde phase.

Oh OK, it hasn't been too bad. There was costly work to be done on the car - just like last time the god of travellers went AWOL - and two computers went down (I won't bother getting them fixed until we are well out of the danger zone). There was plenty of miscommunication, double-crossed wires, forgotten appointments, late arrivals and more than one person laughed with me about having missed a plane. Over all, though, it has been a good time to go back over some old ground. In one situation where I'd previously had difficulties with billing I discovered money owed to me (it has been delayed in its return, but it must surely be on its way!).

Mercury sure does love to move things around. Today I heard someone say that the planet itself is a big chunk of iron - that would make it the most powerful magnet I've ever heard of.

Yes, I feel the need to renew my sense of equilibrium, to get my polarities lined up.

It occurred to me last night after receiving a comment from a reader here that in spite of what others may expect me to project into the world - a stronger vision, a more realistic representation of my self, or what ever - that the swing between one way of being and another doesn't sit comfortably with me. What I'm saying is that I hope never to be one way or another but to be both.

There are situations in life that require a strong manner of speaking, but that doesn't mean that I am not also scared. Just because I accept the consequences of my past actions doesn't mean that I don't also feel wronged. I'm acutely aware that for every victim a bully is constellated, that heroes call foes into being - every archetypal pattern demands its counterpart be played out. I've found that the way through these mythical forces is simply to walk the path of non-resistance. Acknowledging the gods, if you like. Because they're alive and they will one way or another extract their dues.

Too much energy is wasted in denial - 'I'm not a victim' is something I've told myself over and over again. And so over and over again life has shown me that is exactly what I am. If you've been reading this blog for a while you know that there are things going on here that are challenging me, that sometimes I let these challenges send me plummeting. I go down alright, without fighting. I won't fight anymore.

Resistance just creates more of what isn't wanted.

So with that in mind, in these last moments of Mercury's 'time out', I reckon I'll just go with whatever is. If I'm down, I'll be resting; if I'm strong, I'm using it. And if someone wants to tell me I've failed, I'll listen - and accept that I can only do as I do.

Hm, and I'll have another cup of magical fennel tea. Want one?

venus, the sun and mercury: a tipping point?

I don't usually like to write about astrology in any kind of direct way - not just because I'm not an astrologer (although as part of alchemy studies astrology is covered pretty thoroughly) but also for the reason that I don't like to offer interpretations. Rather, I prefer to point people towards their own ideas of what's going on, symbolically, metaphorically, allegorically.

One of the axioms of alchemy goes something like (forgive me for not quoting the original Latin) 'the macrocosm and the microcosm are the same' or as some would have it 'as above, so below' (you could say 'on earth as it is in heaven'). Basically the cosmos, the planets, the archetypes, the whole universe; all the largest things are the same as the smallest things. Not simply reflections of each other, not copies. The same thing.

I'm not going to go into a complicated discussion of quantum mechanics here but will say that this ancient assertion of the alchemists is something that modern science supports.

OK, I could go way off course here - what I'm trying to get to is that astrology works at a very personal level, at the level of the microcosmic self - that the planets are moving in you and I too.

But looking outward into the sky, recognising that we are part of a living ball of matter and energy moving in an orderly fashion through space that there are other living, moving, balls of energy and matter existing in relation to us - this can give us some perspective on how we live our little lives.

During the most challenging times in life a refreshed perspective can really help. Its as though a part of us that we don't ordinarily tap into recognises the greater scheme of things - and seeing things differently changes things powerfully.

This morning one of my favourite astrologers sent out his weekly newsletter and reminded his readers of an pair of astrological events that rarely happen - the transits of Venus to the Sun. Venus tracks her way through the solar system in a very specific pattern in eight year cycles which form a greater cycle in relation to our Sun.

To the average follower of astrology most of all of this is going on in a way that is partly hypothetical (in that the actual position of the planets and the way western astrology presents their positions don't concur); mostly invisible (conjunctions aren't really about planets 'meeting' - they are occupying the same 'degrees' on a one-dimensional scale but are separated in space by everything else that is real) and possibly confusing. Its the often poetics of astrology, in the absence of understanding the physical energies of the planets, that give it its power.

Still, right now it transpires that not only are Venus and the Sun metaphorically conjoined, we're midway between the two greater and far more potent events - the first of which occurred on June 4, 2004 that some of you may recall. Venus was visible from here on Earth against the backdrop of the sun. The twin of this 'occultation' of the sun by Venus is expected in June 2012 and won't happen again for another one hundred and thirteen years or so.

I don't know what it means, and wouldn't dare speak for what other's may believe about this. But it does say something for itself and the perfection of the Universe, the synchronicity and beauty of life. It seems to demonstrate that even the unseen or unknowable will at some point be revealed - returned. There are some that say that this moment in time is a tipping point. Many stories are circulating about the archetype of transformation, the divine feminine, about women and the way we love. I don't know.

What I do know is that this is all happening in Gemini - the sign of the twins, ruled by Mercury (who is, of course, right there in the midst of it) and bringing to the whole picture the realm of ideas, the mind, thought and choice.

I think its worth looking outwards right now - with a renewed perspective, and with an open mind and heart. Something very special may be revealed to each of us.

We may see something that may not come around again for a while.

trickster's past

from my paper journal:

January 15. Moon in Aries, Mercury sextile Venus (natal)

the car won't start
my phone tells me I have a connection failure - to check my settings.

life is never strange anymore.

Craig tells me I'm a brat - same as Edi and Alice (does that mean he 'loves me the best' too?)

I know I'm a brat - I love being a brat! I'll always be a BRAT!

why would I want to be anything other than what I am - exactly as I am?

I've been to the plastic surgeon to see about my plastic parts. He tells me I'm not as bad as I think. HA! I'm exactly as bad as I think.

I'm only ever what I think at one time or another.

I AM.

But I won't have to wait long now.

(and I may have turned into one of those people who sits in cafes staring at everyone strangely)

so, nothing.

bibliomancy for mercury retrograde

"invitation" by Edith Chow Sinclair, aged 6

"Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel" (Arab saying)

Bibliomancy for a scorpio full moon

'all things are as they should be' all rights reserved 08

"It is frightening to see how many people seek help for human expressions of aliveness, such as grief reactions to loss, overt expressions of anger, feelings of jealousy or frustration or stress. And it is especially frightening because I know that many therapists would give medication or even hospitalize these healthy people when an intensive period of attention and being listened to would accomplish much more." - Deldon Anne McNeely (Mercury Rising p.101)

bibliomancy for mercury sextile chiron

'you look more like a magpie these days' all rights reserved d sinclair 2008

"As long as you think you're white, I have to think I'm black" - James Baldwin

mercurial blessings

'kind stranger' d sinclair 2008 all rights reserved

"Necessity knows no magic formulae- they are all left to chance. If love is to be unforgettable, fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi's shoulder." (Milan Kundera)

There are times when Mercury's tricks can bring confirmation that all of life is - in fact - entirely miraculous.

Yesterday my car battery died without warning just as I needed to leave the car wash bay with a queue of vehicles waiting behind me, a baby in the back seat and sweltering heat outside.

My immediate thought - right after the shock of yet another 'power failure' - was to call my self-proclaimed Lone Ranger (aka the Rigger) for help - followed by the thought that he was more likely to ride off into the sunset than come to the rescue.

I sat doing breathing exercises and calming myself and within moments a kind gentleman appeared and asked if he could help. An hour later the problem was entirely rectified, my car fitted with a new battery. Better than ever. (the Lone Ranger even showed up in his Silver V6, paying for everything, shaking hands, playing with the baby before taking the sunset route)

Mercury - Hermes - is a son of Zeus. Fortune, as Zeus would bestow, is the father of chance, opportunity and luck and are an integral part of the myth - but we are too eager to problematise, to see theft and tricks and deceptions where there are openings and blessings.

The einfalle generousity of a stranger - if one can relate to the presence of such grace as 'strange' - and the unexpected reversal of a usually elusive character - are affirmations of a benevolent mercurial force in the world.

And, the event served to remind me that 'owning my stuff' and taking responsibility for the choices made - stuff ups - that have brought me to this place is a fine thing - and that ownership includes the good stuff too.

mars direct , mercury awol..

...I've been trying to get a clear bibliomancy reading for this astro-current - but it seems our friend The Trickster has scattered my focus somewhat, as well as messing with the electric circuits in my house, the air conditioning, the car, my online banking and, well - this is just the beginning.

Mercury retrograde in Aquarius feels very Promethean - so perhaps we shall see how much of the fire of the Gods can be snatched away in this transit.

I for one quite enjoy it, as long as I don't have anywhere important to go, there's no heatwave or blizzard, and I pace myself.

Its a good time, for one thing, to examine the metaphors that present themselves.


Power issues, for example - I've a long history of troublesome on-again-off-again appliances, impossibly high utilities bills, household circuits that blow up in dramatic showers of glass and smoke and, just recently - power 'transformers' melting down, shutting off electricity to the whole street (not just once!).

It doesn't take too much genius to figure out that I have some kind of imbalance occurring, and which areas of life I can work on in order to improve things - application of power - how much is being paid for it - connectedness, transformation - these are all fundamental. I'm being shown, through these events, something of myself - my own overloads, explosive anger, meltdowns - drama.

As for Mars' station in late Gemini in preparation for returning to direct motion on Thursday - well, that feels like a cat of a different colour.


The men in my life are suddenly and inexplicably irritating. And I say 'men' plural because the retrograde period itself manifested - shall we say concentrated interest - from two of them. They both know they have competition. One tried to win me over by being understanding about the other guy (giving me advice, being supportive) while referring to him constantly as 'The Rigger'.

Said Rigger referred to the first guy in turn as 'The Greek', and was not in the least bit 'understanding' - using plenty of rigger-style expletives in letting me know what he was thinking (and riggers really know how to swear). It was kind of cute, really.

Well, sort of - although its been a long time since I had that kind of attention from two men at once, and its flattering in a crazy way - both of these men are ex-lovers and neither one of them ever had any long term intentions with me. That remains unchanged, tantalising promises and imagined futures notwithstanding.

What was I thinking??

Well, as I keep saying - there is no outer event that is not also inner. It always comes back to that. There's a case of indecision - of internal double-talk - at least something going on at the soul level, working itself out moment by moment - it'll be amazing to watch what becomes of it all next.

Meanwhile, I count my blessings that the airconditioner not working means a smaller power bill, that with car troubles we'll walk a bit more and drive less and that less focus for a while may let me dream a little more.

trickster

"Chance and chance alone has a message for us. Everything that occurs out of necessity, everything expected, repeated day in and day out, is mute. Only chance can speak to us. We read its messages much as gypsies read the images made by coffee grounds at the bottom of a cup."

- Milan Kundera