Mary Jo Wevers

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Developing a Higher Vision of Life

Sagittarius raises us up and gives us a broader and higher perspective. It expands our horizons, and broadens both our internal and external vistas. It helps us view our personal situation in the world in a greater context. When we do this we can understand our life experiences from different perspectives and gain new insights.

Sagittarius excites and inspires us with its spirit of adventure. It gives us the freedom to travel and explore other countries, cultures, and religions. It motivates us to venture out into the world, and discover other schools of thought and ideologies. It leads us to question our own beliefs and truths, and find greater meaning in our existence. It helps us find our purpose and direction in life. It asks us to aim high when we set our goals.

A belief is a fixation or attachment to one version of the truth. We need to examine what is it we choose to believe in. How have we structured our lives around these beliefs? Are they really true for us, or at this juncture in our life? Which beliefs, opinions and values do we need to eliminate, to let go of? How can we develop a higher, more inclusive and uplifting philosophy that guides us into the future?

How can we re-frame our worldly experiences so we can find value in them, no matter how challenging they can be? How can we envision our life in ways that changes our experience of reality? When we change our perspective, we change how we experience life events. Sagittarius helps us feel gratitude, blessed for having opportunities to learn and expand our thinking, and to connect to our own inner Truth. It gives us hope for the future as we grow and evolve.

We celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday as the Sun enters the sign of Sagittarius each year. This is a time to be generous, and to express the divine virtue of gratitude for our good fortune and blessings in life. In these times of unsettling changes we can be grateful for what we have. Aspire to a greater and higher connection to Grace in your life.

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”
― G.K. Chesterton

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Investigating Our Emotional Depths for Spiritual Growth

In the coming solar month, Mars in Gemini moves retrograde, pointing to a need to be circumspect before acting and communicating. Mars retrograde can manifest as defensiveness and combativeness. In Gemini, it can be caught in the moment, restless and impatient, reactive instead of proactive. As we encounter emotionally charged material in the depths of our psyche during this solar month of Scorpio, we may find ourselves spinning stories about difficult or challenging experiences in which we felt powerless, or attempted to exert control over the situation. Mars in Gemini can provoke the ego-mind to try to explain away our experience in superficial or counterproductive ways, distracting us from going deeper, gaining more profound insight, and affecting real change.

We can come to an understanding of emotionally charged experiences on deeper levels, gaining more personal meaning and spiritual insight from them. Pluto and its sign of Scorpio guide us to turn inwards, and venture into our innermost darkness, to discover the root of our discomfort, face personal issues needing resolution, and connect with our true essence and power. Here is a step-by-step method for handling emotionally difficult experiences more skillfully by investigating on deeper levels that lead to spiritual understanding and growth.

  1. In our day-to-day life we may have a specific experience while interacting in the world. This is the level of physicality, of fact. An event occurred; something transpired. 
  • Ask yourself, What happened? What was the experience? Describe it objectively.
  1. We may have an emotional response to what occurred. This is the level of feeling. One or more emotions may arise in our body, such as anger, sadness, happiness, fear, shame, or some variation of these. 
  • Ask yourself, How did I feel? What emotions arose naturally and spontaneously? Name the emotions you felt. 
  1. Often we have experienced these emotions before. A similar emotional charge from the past may arise and add to the present emotional response, intensifying its energy.
  • Ask yourself, When have I felt like this before? Allow any memories to arise. Make a note of them. Is this experience part of a pattern that repeats in your life?
  1. On the third level we can reflect on the spiritual significance of our experience: the message, lesson or learning we can gain from it. Often an unaddressed issue or theme surfaces when ‘triggered’ in life and we have an emotional response. This allows us to gain insight into unhealed parts of ourselves, or parts of ourself that need to be nurtured or strengthened. When we take ownership of our responses and reactions to events and circumstances, we can affect change, rather than spinning into stories about them. We can take back our power rather than blaming others for our feelings.
  • Ask yourself, What in me is attracting or creating this experience, so that I may become aware of it? What judgments did I make about it, about others, or about myself that interfere with understanding the message, lesson, or learning about the issue?
  1. Finally we can consider what needs to change, be healed, resurrected, transformed, or transmuted in us. How might we grow as a person and appreciate the spiritual significance of our difficult experience and the opportunity for growth it provides?
  • Ask yourself, What in me needs healing? What in me needs to be eliminated, shed, or released? What do I need to do to connect with my inner source of strength, power, love and creativity?

Pluto, god of the underworld in Roman mythology, guides us to explore the deeper levels of innermost self, hidden from the light of our conscious awareness. Once we summon our courage and descend into our subconscious to uncover its hidden mysteries and secrets, we can face them, transform them and reclaim our power.

“We all need to look into the dark side of our nature – that’s where the energy is, the passion. People are afraid of that because it holds pieces of us we’re busy denying.”

– La Gitana Eva

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Interpreting Retrograde Planets in the Horoscope

From Starwalk.space

Retrogrades happen from our perspective standing on the surface of the earth as we look up at the planetary movements overhead. As the planets move along their elliptical orbits around the Sun, they sometimes appear to slow down and change direction. This is an illusion, of course, much like when you are traveling in a train or car, and another train or car traveling at a slower speed seems to be moving backwards. 

Planets in retrograde motion are deviating from their usual, forward moving flow on their orbital path. The symbolic interpretation of this phenomenon in astrology is that the archetypal energy of the planet is functioning differently, contrary to its usual manner. This can be experienced as a shift in our perception or inner processing of events, a disruption of our normal activities, or challenging obstacles placed in our way. 

Prior to their retrograde periods, Mercury, Venus and Mars are farthest from the Earth in their orbit. As they move in retrograde motion they move back closer to the Earth. Our interpretation of this is the energetic expression of the planet had been too far out, off track, or heading in an unconventional direction. It needed to be reined in, adjusted, re-worked and realigned with our physical existence. 

Mercury, Venus and Mars are referred to as personal planets in astrology, due to their proximity to the Sun and Earth. The retrograde movements of these planets may be felt more strongly and individually than the retrograde effects of the outer planets. Jupiter and Saturn are social planets. When retrograde, they affect how we interact with others and the outer world. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are slower moving, and imprint members of a generation who are born with the planet in the same sign. Transpersonal planets, when retrograde, affect us collectively as well as individually, and pertain to human evolution and spiritual development.

A planet moving retrograde moves through the same part of the zodiac three times. It is as if the planet is walking back and forth over this area looking at its issues and processes from different perspectives. This “sensitized” part of the zodiac is referred to as the Retrograde Shadow. The location of the Retrograde Shadow by House in the astrological chart indicates the area of life where the effects of the retrograde will be most strongly felt.

The three phases of planetary movement through the Shadow area during a retrograde are:

  1. The first forward, or “direct” movement through the Shadow area. Issues emerge to be revisited, re-examined and re-worked during the rest of the retrograde cycle.
  2. The planet changes direction or “stations retrograde” and begins its apparent backward motion. We may feel a reversal in the flow of energy. The retrograde phase of a planet is a time to be more interested in our inner experience of the planetary archetype than our outer experience of it in the world. This phase is a time to slow down, direct our attention internally, and review, reflect, reassess and begin to resolve any issues that have emerged.
  3. The planet changes direction again, and moves forward, or direct. The third passage of the planet through the Shadow area, this is a time to absorb and integrate new awareness and perspectives on matters, to gain knowledge and better understanding.

Once the planet leaves the Shadow area of the zodiac that was covered by the retrograde, we can move forward in life, applying our new found knowledge and approaches to issues that arose. This marks a culmination of the retrograde cycle, and ideally an experience of personal awareness and advancement.

We sometimes need to take one step backward in life before we can move two steps ahead. If we fight against the flow of the retrograde energy by trying to forge onward too fast, we may miss important elements that are necessary for lasting success. New information or resources may be forthcoming. Some of our plans or thinking may need to change. We might encounter further difficulties when we push forward without pausing to re-evaluate our situation. It may feel as if we are trying to move a boulder uphill, or swim against the current. We need to rein in our urge to forcefully move ahead.

By taking advantage of planetary retrograde periods to slow down, retrieve missing pieces of information, review, reflect and reconsider our plans, we can actually make better progress in the long run. When we set aside time to be more internal, more reflective, we can listen to our wise, inner voice and gain new insight into matters. By bringing ourselves back into alignment with the planetary movements and conditions we can achieve our long-term goals more gracefully and successfully, while experiencing personal growth and development.

“When we know and are aware of the planetary movements and conditions, and integrate them into our lifestyles, we can then be in alignment with the energies that they bring to support us.”
  – Karen Bishop in Staying in Alignment

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Mercury retrograde from Libra into Virgo

In the solar month ahead we enter into the third Mercury retrograde cycle of this calendar year. A Mercury retrograde takes on the flavor of the one or two signs of the zodiac through which Mercury is traveling. Therefore each retrograde cycle has its own style, tone and manner, expressed through the sign and degrees that are transited. This month Mercury retrogrades from 8 degrees Libra to 24 degrees Virgo.

The signs and degrees of the retrograde are in one or more houses in your horoscope, or natal chart. These houses represent the areas of life, associated themes, subject matters and issues, where you will experience the affects of the retrograde cycle most strongly. The houses in your horoscope where 24 degrees Virgo through 8 degrees Libra fall signify the area, or areas of life that will come under review during this retrograde.

A planet moving retrograde moves through the same part of the zodiac three times. It is as if the planet is walking back and forth over this area looking at its issues and processes from different perspectives. We may feel a sense of stuck-ness in these areas, or as if matters are not moving along smoothly, or at a more satisfying faster pace. This “sensitized” part of the zodiac is referred to as the Retrograde Shadow area.

On August 21st, the day before the Sun’s ingress into Virgo, Mercury enters the Shadow area of its retrograde. During its first pass through the Shadow area, issues emerge that will be revisited and re-examined during the remainder of the retrograde cycle. In Libra, themes concerning maintaining balance in one’s life, or within relationships, may surface. Notice what is coming up in your day to day life. Pay attention to your internal responses. Any issues that come up now can be reviewed, revised, and re-worked during the retrograde. 

In Libra, we may have tendencies to be other-centered, and compromise our self. We may have difficulty with anger, in ourself and in others, and want peace at any price. If we are a people pleaser we may be flattering, or dishonest at times. We might tend to be superficial, concerned with outward appearances, and strive to maintain an appearance of graciousness and refinement. We may be ambivalent when needing to make decisions, vacillating, or indecisive out of fear of displeasing or going against the wishes of others. This may make us unable to act, or act in our own self-interest.

Mercury moving back into Virgo guides us to go back and reconnect with the grounded, discerning, practical real-world attitudes and approaches of Virgo. What qualities do we need to foster that will help us regain our balance, in ourselves and in our relationships? What steps do we need to take to improve our health and well being? Where can improving our life skills and competency lead to better outcomes? Can we place improving and problem-solving ahead of people-pleasing? Can adopting the approach of Virgo to be of greater service help us be better partners in our personal and business partnerships?

At the end of its first pass through the Shadow area Mercury slows in preparation to change direction, or station retrograde. We may feel a slowing down of energy in us, or in our life, or a reversal of energy. Mercury stations retrograde at 8 degrees Libra on September 9th and begins its second pass through the Shadow area in reverse direction. During this time it is helpful to slow down, re-direct our attention internally, and review what has happened during Mercury’s first pass through the Shadow area. We have an opportunity to go back and retrieve missing information, consider other perspectives, and look at matters from other viewpoints in order to consider issues differently.

As Mercury reaches the end of its retrograde phase it slows down once again in preparation to change direction. On October 2nd Mercury stations direct at 24 degrees Virgo and begins moving in a forward direction, making a third pass through the Shadow area. This is a time to gain insight and better comprehend issues that recently emerged. We can integrate new or missing pieces of information retrieved during the retrograde, and absorb new understanding and different perspectives on issues.

On October 18th Mercury leaves the Shadow area, having completed the current retrograde cycle. Mercury moves into new territory, with its associated themes and issues. Our awareness moves into new areas in life, with different matters and issues.

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Blending Neighboring Signs: Cancer into Leo

Each succeeding sign of the zodiac in the astrological chart provides the means to rectify or redirect the energy of the previous sign, thereby providing a new avenue for its expression, a new area for its application, or a new way of being in the world. When a planet changes sign by transit, we have an opportunity to integrate the energy of the previous sign into its following sign. 

Merging one sign into the subsequent one is not an easy task. This is because two adjacent signs have nothing in common. They are of different polarity, element, and modality. Therefore they have difficulty “understanding” each other. It takes awareness, creativity, and work to combine, integrate, or blend one sign with the next.

For example, the energetic expression of Cancer is of negative polarity, meaning it is inwardly directed, reflective, or introverted. Cancer is a water sign, and represents emotional sensitivity and attunement. The sign of Cancer is of cardinal modality. It initiates action and creates new beginnings from a caring heart-centered place when it feels protected and secure. The subsequent sign of Leo is energetically of positive polarity, outwardly directed or extroverted. Leo is a fire sign: spirited, enthusiastic, commanding and active. A sign of fixed modality, Leo has the determination and will to stick to its desires and objectives, and remain focused until it is completely satisfied. As we move from the sign of Cancer into Leo, we are challenged to find ways they can complement each other or work together. 

We have all the signs of the zodiac in our birth charts, and so it is important for us to learn how to skillfully use and express them all. It can be difficult to find ways to transition successfully from one sign to the next, or to blend their energies, or find ways their expressions can work simultaneously or side-by-side in our life. We want to experience the energy of the new sign without leaving the useful and favorable qualities of the previous sign behind.

Two adjacent, unrelated signs can best be integrated and used together when each are expressed in their highest and most productive ways. When a sign is expressed in problematic ways its energy spirals downward, and becomes very difficult for it to work expansively and interactively with another. 

Some of the highest and best expressions of the sign of Cancer include emotional sensitivity; gentle vulnerability; providing support and protection; valuing family, home and community; and being devoted to meeting the needs and caring for others. Examples of highest and best expressions for Leo include loving life, being joyful and fun loving; heart-centered and generous; encouraging and inspiring; confident and courageous; creative and spontaneous. These beneficial and productive expressions of Cancer and Leo do not necessarily negate each other, or make it difficult to express the energies of each other. Rather, they complement each other by adding other dimensions of energetic expression, thereby enriching our life experience. 

As planets in transit this month segue from the sign of Cancer in Leo, we too can bring emotional understanding and sensitivity for others into play as we courageously act from a heart-centered place. Our devotion for providing for the needs of others in our community and being a nourishing presence feeds our enthusiasm for life, and being a confident, commanding leader who respects the sovereignty of others.

“There is no instinct like that of the heart.” ― Lord Byron